Stained Cherry Blossoms
by Konoha no Uchiha Sakura
Summary: Sakura has changed in the years that Sasuke has been gone. A tragedy has happened in her life leaving Sakura bent on revenge. When Sasuke returns, she hardly acknowledges his presence, focusing solely on training. DISCONTINUED.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; cuz if I did, then Sasuke-kun would have never have broken Sakura's heart!

**Ok, so here's my first-ever chapter fic! Please tell me what you all think! I will be updating regularly! xD It's rated "M" for stuff that happens coming up in later chapters.**

**Here goes!**

…

**Stained Cherry Blossoms **

Summary: Sakura has changed in the years that Sasuke has been gone. A tragedy has happened in her life leaving Sakura bent on revenge. When Sasuke returns, she hardly acknowledges his presence, focusing solely on training. She will get her revenge if it's the last thing she does, but if she does, then what? Will her heart ever learn to love again?

**Prologue: **

The cool, crisp fall morning blew her short choppy bangs in her eyes. But she didn't care, they were closed anyways. Her hands clasped together tightly, forming the final seal that would focus her chakra into her counter-attacking jutsu.

_Please let this work…_she silently prayed.

_**Of COURSE it'll work you BAKA!**_

_Urusei! What're you doing awake so early in the morning anyways? (1)_

**_I'm here to make sure you don't get your ass KICKED! _** Inner Sakura retorted fiercely.

Inwardly, Sakura groaned. Opening her jade eyes, Sakura faced her opponent.

Rock Lee's heart simply melted when he saw Sakura's piercing green eyes meet his.

"Sakura-san, I don't think I should—"

"Shut it Lee! I NEED to do this!" Sakura's eyes were pleading.

Lee sighed as he took a stolid, offensive stance, a sad look in his usually cheery eyes.

_Sakura-san, you're pushing yourself too hard…_

Sakura could see the worry etched into his face, but her heart told her to ignore it. People who showed their concern for her now would only hold her back from what she really needed to do.

_FLASHBACK_

_Sakura walked cheerfully up to Tsunade's door, preparing to enter. The Fifth had asked her to come to her office. She didn't sound happy when Sakura answered the phone. Sakura lifted her fist to knock on the door, but paused when she heard grave voices speaking inside. _

"_Tsunade-sama, is it wise to tell her who is responsible for their deaths? After all, we may not know if Sasuke was involved in killing them…" Sakura recognized the voice of her sensei, Kakashi. Her eyes widened with fear and her breath hitched in her throat. 'What the hell are they talking about!' she thought. _

"_Under the circumstances, Kakashi, I have no choice. Her parents have been gone for about two months on this recon mission. I just received the notice of their deaths. It was written by Orochimaru himself. I don't like this anymore than you do…It all seems like a plot to me to lure Sakura—" _

"_What the hell is going on?" Sakura yelled as she'd burst through the door, cutting Tsunade's sentence off. _

"_Sakura, your parents…they've been murdered." _

_Sakura's eyes widened and her heart shot up into her throat. "I'm gonna be sick…" she said after a moment._

_Kakashi put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we're sending out ANBU squads to kill the ones responsible…" _

_Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You mean Orochimaru's men." She said hotly._

_Tsunade's eyes widened. "How did you--?" "She heard through the door. All my students are geniuses in stealth, all except for Naruto." Kakashi said, watching Sakura's reaction. Sakura ignored whatever it was that was said next. Her eyes focused on the floor and she fought furiously to stop the tears that threatened to come. 'I swear to you, Tousa, Okaasan, I WILL get revenge and avenge you!' she thought savagely. (2)_

_END FLASHBACK_

Sakura winced at the memory. It was the reason why she was training so hard. It had been a little over a year since she'd been called to Tsunade's office to hear the news. Since then, she'd focused on training all the time with Lee, increasing her speed.

Then, almost four months ago, they got Sasuke back. He'd been found bloody and beaten in front of Konoha's gates. Sakura rolled her eyes. She didn't trust him either. But there was something about him that was different. He didn't seem as cold as he did six years ago. The look in his eyes seemed almost complacent, instead of always angry.

Sakura shrugged it off, telling herself to forget him. But there were always those moments when a confrontation with him seemed inevitable. Sakura never looked him in the eyes anymore. She never knew what to say when she was around him now either. It almost seemed to her, that they had switched roles. Kakashi had called Team 7 together again, but for the past two weeks, Sakura had stopped meeting with them to train, instead training one-on-one with Lee.

Her heart was on fire at everything that had happened. So much pain erupted in her chest, bringing those damn tears again…

"Sakura-san, perhaps we should stop?" Lee asked, putting persuasion into his voice.

She shook her head no, one arm hugging her chest to try to stifle the pain.

It served as a reminder to her weakness. Failure to save her parents. Failure to even save her heart.

"Not a chance Lee-san. I want to train until I'm the strongest shinobi in Konoha. AND I want to do it without Sasuke-kun and Naruto finding out why."

Lee nodded his head once, conceding. Recently educated on what happened to Sakura before Sasuke's return, did he understand her determination to improve.

Sombering up, he took a fighter's stance once again, and waited for her to make her move.

**Sorry it's so short! Lol! I had to get it started and posted so I will be more motivated to get this story going. It's gonna seem a little slow at first, but its building. xD**

**So just bear with me, please? Lol! **

Urusei: shut-up

Tousa & Okaasan: Dad & Mom (Father & Mother)


	2. Secret Training

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, and if I did, Sasuke would sweep Sakura off her feet and they would live happily ever after! Lol!

**Here's chapter one! WOOOOOOTTTT! Lol! **

**Chapter 1:**

**Secret Training**

Uchiha Sasuke opened his onyx eyes sharply. He sat up fast, the events of his dream still replaying in his mind. It was a moment before he realized that he'd returned to reality. His heartbeat slowed as his dark eyes swept the room. Familiarity returned to him then, as did the name of the last person on his mind before he fell asleep…

Sakura…

She'd been acting weird (well, weird in his opinion because she didn't fan-girl over him when he came home,) and every time he saw her, she never directly looked him in the eye.

Come to think of it, Sakura had made a point of ignoring him ever since he'd returned home. Every time it seemed like he could confront her alone, she'd found an excuse to get away, almost like she couldn't bear to be around him.

_I don't blame her. I was such a bastard when I left her._ He thought, as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and dropped to the floor. Since his return from Orochimaru, people in the village of Konoha had started treating him coldly.

"It's all right." His best friend Naruto had said to him upon his release from the hospital. "They'll lighten up sooner or later. You're just gonna have to prove your loyalty to Konoha before they stop treating you like you're a disgrace." Sasuke felt a sharp pang of guilt in his chest as he realized the words unspoken from Naruto. He remembered how initially Naruto had been treated as an outcast because of Kyuubi being sealed inside him. But since Naruto had become a full-fledged shinobi, Konoha had finally accepted him.

_Now it's my turn…_ He thought bitterly.

He got dressed and ate breakfast quickly. Just as he was sliding his shoes on by the door did he hear a loud knock on his door.   
Sasuke stood and opened it to reveal his best friend, looking absolutely terrified of something.   
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed.

"Naruto." He said.

Uzumaki Naruto had always been a fearless individual ever since Team 7's mission to the Land of the Wave all those years ago. Now though, however, he looked as if he'd seen his own ghost.

"S-sakura-chan…" Naruto stuttered. Sasuke's heart leapt into his throat at the sound of his other teammate's name.   
"What's happened?" Sasuke demanded, already moving out the door and slamming it shut behind him. Naruto couldn't speak for a moment, which was incredible since the baka was babbling all the time about becoming Hokage one day. Naruto shook his head hard, further tousling his already messy, spiky blonde hair. "It's not the same Sakura we knew Sasuke." He said, regaining his composure enough to explain.

"There's something, _different_ about her."

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement. In truth, he really had no idea what had sparked such a dramatic change in their pink-haired teammate. But he would kill himself before he ever admitted that he was really worried about her to anyone, let alone Naruto.

Naruto cast a questioning glance in Sasuke's direction. "Ne Sasuke, you ok?" Sasuke faced him, nodding slowly. "Aa." He replied, hiding everything with his usual stoic expression.

"What is it about Sakura that you've noticed was different?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

Naruto looked at him and snorted. "Well, she's been going out of her way to ignore _you_." He said, watching Sasuke's reaction.

He got nothing.

Sasuke frowned. "She hasn't been training with us for the past two weeks Naruto. Where do you think she's been?"

Naruto sighed. "C'mon, I'll show you. She's been skipping out on training with us because she's found another sparring partner." He said a sad look in his eyes. Sasuke noted this, and felt like Naruto had been holding something back, but didn't say anything more about it.

For a split second, Sasuke thought that Sakura had chosen one of the shinobis in their village as a suitor. His heart jumped into his throat again, and he swallowed hard.

Naruto led him to a clearing where the noise of a battle was going on. Hiding in the trees, Naruto pointed to two shinobis, matched evenly in battle. One had pink hair…

"Sakura." Sasuke whispered. "She's been training with Fuzzy Brows now for a while. I don't know why she won't talk to us, but he's the only one that will hear more than two words come out of her."

Sasuke frowned. "She's training with Rock Lee?" He asked, his question almost seemed like a growl. Naruto nodded, his frown mirroring Sasuke's. "I'm worried about her. I don't know why she won't train with us, but I'm more than willing to try to find out. You in?" Naruto asked, preparing to leap down on the two Konoha Chuunin.

"Hn." Sasuke replied, nodding slightly. "Let's at least watch them for a minute. I'm curious to see how much she's improved." Naruto said, relaxing his grip on his kunai a bit.

"Aa." Sasuke said, leaning against the trunk of the tree they were on.

Rock Lee came at her again, this time landing a hard kick in her stomach. The force of his kick threw her to the ground, but the momentum kept her going. She dug her kunai into the ground, slowing her "fall" towards a nearby tree. Breathing hard, Sakura managed to force herself to her feet.

"Sakura-san, yamete."(1) Lee said, bowing respectfully to her. "You've been pushing yourself too hard!" He finally shouted his worry to her.

Sakura felt a wave of anger wash over her.

**_OHH NO! He did NOT just call us WEAK! _** Inner Sakura ranted.

"Don't try to tell me what to do! I NEED to train harder! I NEED to get better!" Lee sighed, conceding once more upon seeing the determination in her green eyes. "Again then, Sakura-san." He'd learned long ago from Tenten that once a girl's mind was made up, there was no going back.

Sakura came at him again, this time feigning an attack to his right, but really going for his left. Lee stopped and went to block the attack as usual, but Sakura's speed had gotten much better and she landed a satisfyingly hard blow to his left side. From the tree branch nearby Sasuke smirked. _Nice job._ He thought at Sakura.

Lee's already big eyes widened as he stood, dusting himself off. "Nice job Sakura-san!" He said, giving her the "Nice Guy" pose, glittering teeth and everything. This still made Sakura shudder. Naruto and Sasuke winced also. This guy was just plain weird.

Lee came at her this time, forcing Sakura to block a series of kicks and punches as he tested her newly improved speed. Sakura wasn't fast enough however, to block a punch, which was an uppercut right in the face. She felt her nose pop and her top teeth splitting her lip. Blood immediately started gushing out. Sakura's body flew upwards and back with the force of his blow and she landed hard, back slamming into the base of the trunk of the tree Naruto and Sasuke were watching from.

At that moment, the other two members of Team 7 dropped in.

"YO! Dog Brow! What the hell did you just do to Sakura-chan?" Naruto screamed, throwing his kunai in Lee's direction, forcing him to jump backwards and further away from Sakura.

"Nothing Naruto-kun! We were just training! She asked me to help her!" He added, backing away from a now fuming Naruto.

Sasuke landed next to Sakura. His hand went behind her head, checking to be sure she wasn't seriously injured. "Sakura." He said softly. Sakura's eyes fluttered open and for a second she just stared at Sasuke. "Sasuke…kun." She whispered. Her eyes widened in horror as she also saw Naruto cornering Lee.

"Lee-san…nani…?" she started, the question dying in her throat as she looked back up at the ninja standing over her.

"Sasuke-kun?" she nearly shrieked, realization slamming into her. He smirked. "Aa. Iki masyoo Sakura."(2) He said, offering his hand to her.

Timidly, Sakura took it, and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

"Fuzzy Brows, what the hell were you doing with Sakura-chan anyways? You hurt her, why were you so hard on her?" Naruto demanded.

This comment drew an angry snarl from Sakura. "Because _he_ was actually letting me try! _He_ wasn't holding back like you two do when we train! _He_ doesn't _doubt_ my abilities!" She shouted, silencing Naruto's interrogating questions.

Lee still backed away, his wide eyes staring fearfully at the hidden glare Sasuke was sending him. He'd had his bandaged hands raised innocently by his ears. "We were _just training_ I said! Sakura-chan came to me just after the news from Tsunade-sama about her parents and—" He stopped dead, his eyes already widening at his sudden folly.

Sasuke heard Sakura gasp softly with sudden surprise and fear.

"What news?" Naruto demanded. At this, tears swelled in Sakura's eyes, and her stomach jumped into her throat. "J-ja ne, anata" (3) She whispered. She took off, jumping backwards and sped away into the forest, disappearing into the trees.

Sasuke didn't waste a minute to turn to go after her. "Naruto…"

"Yeah I got it." The blonde interrupted. "Go after her. I'll keep Fuzzy Brows here." Sasuke nodded once, then disappeared in the direction Sakura had gone.

Naruto turned back to Lee, who had taken to collapsing against a tree. "Ano…" (4) Naruto started, drawing another kunai from his holster. "Ano…Fuzzy Brow, you got about five seoncds to tell me that the hell is going on…"

**Ok, so that was chapter one! Please R&R so I know what you all think! I know it's kinda slow right now, but I've got this all written out. It gets better, I promise! xD**

Yamete: stop

Iki masyoo: Let's go

Ja ne, anata: See you later guys

Ano…or ano sa: Hey!


	3. Understanding

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, cuz if I did, Orochimaru would NEVER have gotten his icky hands anywhere NEAR Sasuke-kun! Itachi would be dead, and Sasuke and Sakura would live happily ever after…xD

**Here's chapter 2! Thanks for the reviews so far guys! **

**Uchiha Sakura blossoms****: Thank you! **

**Marsgoddess1****: I surely will. Thank you so much for your review! It made me smile. Lol! **

**Chapter 2**

**Understanding**

Confusion mixed with his frustration as he leapt from tree to tree in pursuit. _Damn you Sakura…_ He thought mildly as he looked ahead and saw a flash of pink to his right.   
She was slowing down…

Sasuke landed on a branch 100 meters adjacent to Sakura's current position. She'd dropped onto the branch, sitting with her knees tucked up to her chin and her head buried in her crossed arms atop her knees. A look of bewilderment crossed Sasuke's face when Sakura didn't move as he crept closer. He knew she could probably sense his presence, her being a strong kunoichi and all. But the fact that it was _him_ she was ignoring made him wonder. _Forget it._ He thought and he instantly closed the distance between them. Landing on the same branch as Sakura, he slowly walked towards her.

"Sakura?"

Her head lifted and Sasuke could see the redness in her eyes. "Sas-uke…kun." She whispered. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he gave her a once-over. "You're hurt." He said, eyeing Sakura's bloodied face. She shook her head slightly and continued to ignore him, burying her face once more. "What do you want Sasuke-kun?" she mumbled, not lifting her head.

"You haven't been coming to training with Naruto, Kakashi sensei and I at all for about 2 weeks." He said, casually stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I've been busy with other things." Sakura replied bluntly.

"Such as?"

At this, Sakura's head came up and an angry snarl escaped her lips. "Wouldn't you like to know!" She yelled. Her response drew a surprised reaction from Sasuke, who stared down at her, confusion filling his eyes.   
"Actually, I would, since that dobe has been driving me insane with all his worried comments about you."

Sakura snorted. "Pfft, then it should be _NARUTO_ coming here, not you. You could care less." With that, Sakura stood and made to leave, but Sasuke grabbed her arm.

"Get off me!" Sakura snapped, yanking her arm free of Sasuke's grip.

"Sakura, what the hell—"

"Nothing that concerns you. You would never understand anyway." Sakura interjected, her eyes filling with tears again.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Try me." He said, taking a step towards her.

"NO!" Sakura shouted, and she took off, leaving behind a very confused, pissed off, and _very_ worried Sasuke. Though, he would never show it.

"Hn." He muttered, disappearing too with a "poof."

Naruto had grown bored of interrogating Lee and so he had sat, cross-legged on the ground until the clouds began to roll overhead and a thunderclap could be heard.

The 18-year old Shinobi stood, placing his hands on his hips and throwing a glance in Lee's direction. The Green Beast, he was sometimes known as, looked every bit unhappy as he had when Naruto had first used Kage Bunshin no jutsu (1) to trap him and tie him down to a tree to question him.

"Fuzzy Brows, I'm hungry. Wanna go get some ramen!" He asked, his azure eyes staring at Lee questioningly. Lee glared up at him. "I'm more concerned about Sakura-san!" He replied icily. Naruto's head came up at this. "I completely forgot!" He exclaimed, looking back at Lee. This drew an angry snarl from the Green Beast.

"FORGOT! How could you forget about leaving her alone with that monster?" Naruto cocked his head sideways. Even after Sasuke had been back for a while, there obviously were still people in Konoha that didn't trust him. Rock Lee was one of them.

"Sasuke-teme is not a monster." Naruto said flatly. He hated when people treated his friend this way. He knew how badly it hurt to be on the receiving end of their insults.

"You left him _alone_ with her! He'll more than likely end up hurting her again!" Lee screamed, his face turning red, making him look like an overly ripe tomato against his green attire.

Naruto was on him in an instant. Kunai out and held just above Lee's throat, he spoke in a deadly quiet voice.

"Sasuke-teme may be a jerk, but he would never hurt Sakura-chan. Trust me; I've already pounded his ass for making her cry. He said that he would never do that to her again. He gave me his word."

Lee stared up at Naruto for a minute, still glaring. "Oh, so he gave you his _word_, huh? Pfft, how meaningless." He sneered. Naruto felt a growl rise in his throat. "Look weird-ass, Sasuke and Sakura are my best friends, don't you _dare _insult one of them in front of me! You have no idea what you're talking about. Sasuke may be a cold-hearted bastard, but he cares for Sakura. He's too damn stubborn to admit it, but I know he does."

Lee was quiet for a long moment. "So why'd he go after her?" He asked his voice considerably calmer and quieter than it had been before.

Naruto backed off, slipping the kunai back into its holster. "I dunno. He said that he wanted to apologize to her. He's worried non-stop about Sakura-chan ever since, well, we noticed her changing. He may be a jerk, but he cares a lot about sakura-chan."

"Yeah, that's why he left her." Lee retorted sarcastically.

"That's why he came **back**." Naruto countered fiercely. He stood, shaking the rain that had begun falling from his eyes. "I'm going back. I'll let you go if you promise not to hunt Sasuke-teme down." Lee clenched and unclenched his bandaged hands.

"Only if you give me your word that he won't hurt Sakura-san."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"I promise." Both boys replied together. Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, in that case, I'll letcha improve your ninja escape techniques!" He said, leaping away from Lee.

"NARUUUTTOOOOOO!" He heard Lee scream.

The mischievous smile fell off Naruto's face. It was cold and wet outside…Sakura would kill him if she found out that it was his fault Lee could catch something being caught outside in this weather. Naruto didn't particularly want to face her wraith. Rolling his eyes, Naruto returned and let Lee go. "I was just kidding!" Naruto said innocently as he dodged a punch sent at his face. Lee glared daggers at him, but soon the two shinobi were racing each other back to Konoha.

The front door to her house burst open as Sakura threw herself onto the couch.

_This is my house, no longer a home…_ She thought miserably, angrily wiping tears from her cheeks. Her red, puffy eyes slowly took in the details of the room…The pictures on the walls, the old cigar box on the coffee table from which her father would pull a cigar out of on special occasions…The clean, homely scent her mother had always worked so hard to maintain in the Haruno home. But none of these familiarities could quell the anger and sadness eating inside her.

Her parents had been killed on their last mission to the Sound country, orphaning their one and only 17-year old daughter, Sakura.

Sakura knew that is had been thanks to the remnants of Orochimaru's gang that had ended her parent's lives. Now 18-year old Sakura had chosen to push herself harder and harder until she overcame every single weakness she might have. She wanted to improve so she could avenge her parent's deaths, bringing justice to those who had made the terrible mistake of ruining her life.

**_Hmm…kinda freaky how we've become just like Sasuke-kun…_** Inner Sakura commented casually.

_Urusei. Don't even talk about him right now. I don't even want to see his face or hear his name._

_**Ahh, but you can't shut me up completely you know…**_

_I don't have to. All I have to do is stop listening, and start running…_

Making up her mind, Sakura ran upstairs to her room, packing as fast as she could. She couldn't risk taking off in broad daylight, but dusk was fast approaching, so she decided to wait it out, planning on leaving the moment the sun set.

A/N: Ok, so what do you all think so far now? Lol! I told you it would be a little slow. But that will all change once I get the next chapter up!

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: Shadow Replication Technique


	4. Leaving

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, cuz if I did; Sakura would be Hokage and convince Sasuke-kun to come home to Konoha! xD

Thank you everybody for your wonderful reviews!

**Marsgoddess1**I'm trying really hard not to, but let me know if I do! lol!

**Heartless Ghost****: lol** "Shannaro" means "HELL YEAH!" in Japanese. That's why INNER Sakura uses it. xD "Ja ne" means see ya later and/or good bye in Japanese. Thanks for reading!

**lalalagirl55**

**Blood Stained Sorceress**I hope that it will live up to its potential! lol! Thank you for reading!

**HeartAngel**Weeeeeeeee! lol! That made me happy! xD

**little-haruno-sakura**I will thank you!

**susakuru** hehehe. I will! lol!

**MewMewPower** Your first Naruto fic? OMG! YAY! lol! I hope you're liking it ok!

**Sukarou** Thank you so much!

**XyoushaX** Wow, thank you! Your review is the longest one I've gotten so far! Very critical, but I appreciate it! Thank you for the advice. I will most definitely put it to good use!

**Chapter Three:**

**Leaving**

Sakura was upstairs in her room, waiting for the sun to set. Her eyes were puffy from crying as she pulled her pillow over her head.

There was a loud knock on her door.

Groaning with frustration she rolled over, pulling the pillow over her head more so it was covering her ears as well.

The knocking grew louder and then it was accompanied by, "SAKURA! Open this door right now!" Yamanaka Ino's voice carried through the door to Sakura's ears.

It went silent for a minute, before, "poof" Ino appeared in Sakura's doorway. "Get up lazy ass. I want to know what's going on. You won't answer your phone, you're constantly gone, and now you've gone too far with running away from Naruto. He told me what happened."

Sakura slowly sat up. Her bangs covering her eyes. "Ino-chan, you can't help me. Just please leave me alone." It was then that Ino got mad. "_HELP?_ I don't know how to even _act_ around you anymore Forehead girl! You're not the same person as my best friend." Sakura ignored her, getting up and walking out of her room. Ino followed her.

Sakura went downstairs, slipping her shoes on by the door. "I'm going to re-stock on some supplies. See you later." She said bluntly as she waved at Ino before walking out the door.

"Oh NO you DON'T!" Ino shouted as she quickly slipped her shoes on as well. She caught up to Sakura pretty quickly and she tackled her to the ground. Sakura let out a "What the hell?" as Ino pinned her down.

"What the hell is going on with you Sakura?" Ino shouted, tears starting to swell in her eyes. She hated the way Sakura was looking at her. It was a blank, almost numb look in her eyes. Like her soul had been completely destroyed.

"Get off me Ino. You're holding me up. I've got a mission to fulfill. It's something that you would HARDLY understand." Sakura said coldly. Ino looked at her incredulously. "We've been best friends for YEARS, Sakura. How the hell can you say that? Go ahead, try me." Sakura's eyes narrowed, before she laughed. Ino glared at her. "What the hell is so funny?" She asked her pink haired friend. Sakura got a grip on her composure before answering. "That's the same thing Sasuke-kun said to me too earlier." Ino then sighed with relief. "So you told him, right? I mean, of all people, you should've willingly—"

"I ignored him."

Ino stopped talking and froze. "You _what_?" she asked. "I ignored him. I told him to leave me alone." Ino's blue eyes were wide with shock. Sakura, her_ best friend_ and #1 Sasuke Fan, had told him to leave her alone when he'd shown a small sign of concern for her. Ino got up off of Sakura, allowing her friend to stand. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you?" Ino screamed, slapping Sakura hard across the face. Sakura held her ground, but took the hit. "I'm LEAVING Ino-chan! LEAVING! I'm going to be going to kill the ones responsible for my parent's suffering and deaths! Who _knows_ how long Orochimaru tortured them?" Ino's eyes had widened and her jaw dropped. "Sakura, I—"

"I don't want to hear it." Sakura muttered, turning to go. Ino wouldn't let her. She walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder. Sakura turned around, throwing a punch at Ino. "Leave me alone! There's nothing that you can do to make me stay!" Ino grabbed her into a hug. "I won't let you." She said, twisting Sakura's arm behind her back. This made Sakura mad. She kicked up, landing a blow to Ino's stomach, making her relinquish her hold on Sakura's arm. "Get over it. I'm leaving to kill the ones responsible for fucking up my life! Don't you dare try to stop me either!" Sakura screamed.

"You baka forehead girl!" Ino screamed, recovering from her hit and once again tackling Sakura to the ground. "You are so weak! Why can't you just get over it? If you go off and try to take revenge, you'll be just like BAKA Sasuke!"

Sakura's green eyes narrowed. "What, no 'kun' now?" She sneered. Ino "hmphed" and she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly as she sat on top of Sakura's legs, refusing to move. "I've found someone more worthy of my respect. Sasuke is _gone_ from my mind. You should do the same. That bastard will never love you. He's too in-love with own stupid ass ego."

Sakura's frown deepened and she wriggled free, punching Ino off of her. "You dirty bitch! I don't care about this! All I want is for you to leave me alone! My parents are dead and the ones responsible are still alive. THAT I cannot live with." Sakura shoved Ino off of her, and did a back handspring, putting more distance between them.

"Just leave me alone Ino-buta. I'm going, and there's nothing that you can do to stop me."

"I'll tell the Hokage."

"I'll still get away you dumbass. She's got more on her mind than me to worry about."

"I'll-I'll tell Sasuke…"

Sakura whirled around. "I _dare_ you." She growled. "I doubt he'll give a shit anyways."

With that, Sakura took off running, leaving Ino to wipe the blood running from her lip. "Maybe I will Sakura." Ino said softly, standing up. She looked over her shoulder as she turned around, staring off in the direction that her friend had disappeared. She started walking forward, towards a rarely populated part of Konoha. Soon, her walk turned into a dead-run.

She came to a halt in front of the Uchiha mansion. Her breath came in sharp gasps from running so hard. _Tch, it's not my fault I'm not in shape. Azuma-sensei never works with me anymore…_ she though bitterly as she stopped in front of Sasuke's door. Ino dropped her hands on her knees, willing air into her burning lungs. She reached up to knock on the door, but it slid open before she could reach it.

"Ino?" a smooth voice asked. She looked wearily up at the person standing in the doorway. He was dressed in the elite ninja's uniform, making him look even more attractive than he did before.

"Uchiha…" Ino breathed, slowly standing upright to look him in the eyes. "Sakura's leaving. I can't convince her to stay. She's bent on revenge. Turns out that she took a leaf out of your book."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "She's _what?_" He asked, his usual frown deepening. Ino nodded, leaning against the wall next to the door, holding her chest. Sakura's kicks had gotten stronger. She could feel that a few ribs might be cracked or broken.

"I tried to talk her out of it, but—"

"Looks like she managed to throw you off." Sasuke finished, looking her over. "You should have someone look at that." He said, pointing to her hand around her torso. Ino nodded. "You're the only one who can stop her Uchiha. If she leaves, Konoha will lose its best medic Nin. And I don't want my best friend to become a missing nin either." Ino said, turning to go.

Sasuke nodded, and he disappeared inside his house, grabbing a few things before he left.

Dusk came and night fell upon the hidden village of Konoha. Sakura pulled her backpack on, slipping from her house and making her way down the street. She knew for a fact that Ino had said something to Sasuke, but she could care less. She would make sure that she got out of Konoha tonight.

Sakura leapt into the trees, running as fast as she could towards Konoha's gates. She made it to the edge of the city, and jumped down just inside the gates. She'd sensed someone's chakra. She walked out of the shadows of the trees, looking around for the source.

"What are you doing out so late at night?" a familiar cool voice asked. Sakura whirled around and saw him. He was leaning up against the one of the main gates, hidden in the shadows. Sakura jerked her head back around, closing her eyes as she walked by him. "Go away Sasuke-kun." She said icily. "I have nothing to say to you." She snapped.

"Hn."

_Hn? Is that all he has to say? FINE! _

"Ja ne." she murmured as she marched through the city's gates.

"You won't make it far with ANBU patrolling the parameters." He called. Sakura pointedly ignored him.

A sharp, familiar whistling sound caught her attention, and she easily dodged the shuriken thrown in her direction. Fiery anger burned her eyes as she whirled around, a furious glared etched into her face. "I'm LEAVING! Neither you nor ANBU can stop me!" She screamed. She watched as Sasuke stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

He was dressed in an ANBU Nin's uniform.

_Shit._ Sakura had time to think. **_Well now, this is new! ANBU makes him look all the more sexier, ne? _** Inner Sakura said gleefully.

Sakura frowned more. _URUSEI! Now is HARDLY the time! _She thought angrily. "So I guess this means that you think you can stop me?" She snarled, dropping her pack to the ground and crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. The look in Sasuke's eyes shocked her. They were filled with worry and anger. Sasuke had pulled a kunai out, preparing for the worst. Sakura watched as he approached her. She didn't move until he came to a halt two feet from her.

He looked her in the eyes. He saw anger, fear, and lots of hate burning in her beautiful emerald orbs. _If she leaves, Konoha will lose its best medic Nin. And I don't want my best friend to become a missing Nin either._ Ino's words ran through his mind.

"You shouldn't be that stupid Sakura." He said after a moment. Sakura smirked. "Hn." She said, grabbing her pack and walking away. Anger burned inside her heart as she remembered that Sasuke might be tied to her parents' deaths. If that were so, he wouldn't live to see the next day.

"Leave me alone if you know what's good for you." Sakura said with her back turned. She heard him sigh. "I don't want to fight you Sakura, but I will if I must. I can't just let you leave."

Sakura turned around to face him. "That so? You sure had no problem against it all those years ago."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Don't change the subject. That is in the past, this is now." Sakura smirked. "Whatever Uchiha." She muttered, pulling a kunai from her holster.

_Fuck, Naruto was right. She has changed…a lot._ Sasuke thought sadly.

Sakura came at him, kunai raised, and her teeth gritted. Sasuke reacted instantly. He moved his kunai up to block as Sakura came closer. Metal clanged on metal as Sakura held her ground. Sakura frowned as Sasuke smirked. "Let's see how strong you have become Sakura." He said, the smirk never leaving his face. Sakura leapt away from him, throwing a back tuck in the air and landing a good five feet from him. She instantly had six shuriken in her hands, three in between each of her fingers on both hands. Jumping into the air, she threw the first wave at him, making him dodge. The second wave came next, distracting him while she performed the hand seals Tsunade had taught her. She landed, driving her left fist into the earth, splitting the ground along to where Sasuke stood. He jumped and barely escaped being caught. "Not bad." He muttered, and Sakura noted with some pride that his eyes were had changed to Sharingan. She came at him again, hand seals being performed quickly and almost too fast for the normal human eye to see. But not too fast for Sasuke. He copied the technique, and blocked Sakura's chakra blade with the one that he'd copied. "I'm not going to let you leave." Sasuke growled. Sakura snarled and threw a punch at his face. Sasuke caught her hand and they tumbled to the ground, both still had their chakra blades crossed, and both knew that something bad would happen should the other get hit by the other's blade. Sasuke pinned her down, his legs holding her still while his free arm pulled her blade arm behind her back. She was lying on her side.

"GET OFF ME!" Sakura screamed as she kicked hard. Sasuke's hold on her wavered slightly, but he held fast, refusing to let her free. "I won't let you leave." He repeated. Sakura drew a deep breath and she twisted her body around, screaming loudly as her shoulder was dislocated against his grip. But despite the pain, she was free. Sasuke jumped back, his eyes narrowed.

"I hate you." She muttered. Sasuke's eyes widened. She looked back up at Sasuke, and ran at him, her anger taking over her better judgment. "It's your fault that everything is messed up!" She cried. Tears burned her cheeks as she came at him again; using a series of punches and kicks at him, she pushed him back. With a final sweep of her leg behind his own, she brought them both to the ground, holding another kunai to his throat. "Answer me this Uchiha…" She said in a deadly voice. "Were you involved in the murder of my parents?"

Sasuke's red eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked, gently trying to lift her up off of him. Sakura only pushed the kunai harder against him. He froze.

"Answer me."

"No." He replied. "I would never do anything like that to hurt you Sakura." He said softly.

"Hn." She muttered, getting up. Her left hand disappeared behind her back as she fumbled with something in her pack. A split second later, she had hidden a senbon in her hand. "I don't believe you." Sakura said coldly as Sasuke got up. Before he knew what was happening, Sakura had thrown a kunai in his direction. He dodged it easily, but did not expect a senbon hidden in the shadow of the kunai. The senbon grazed his neck, and the paralyzing agent delivered into his bloodstream. Already he felt the effects of the agent, as his eyelids were growing heavy. Sakura walked towards him until she stood over him. "I told you that you wouldn't stop me." She said, smirking. Sasuke's eyes closed and he slipped into darkness. The last thing he remembered seeing was Sakura's retreating back…

"Sa-ku-ra…"

A/N: Wow, this was really looooong. xD What did you all think? I know the fight between Sasuke and Sakura kinda sucked, but Sakura is saving her techniques for when she fights Orochimaru… (gasp...spoiler! xD)

Ja ne!


	5. Rescue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, cuz if I did, Orochimaru would be murdered by Akatsuki! Itachi would never have hurt Sasuke-kun, and all would be well in Konoha!

**OMG! Thank you readers:) :) :) :) **

**You guys rock, seriously! lol! Thank you so much for R&R! **

**Chapter Four:**

**Rescue**

Tsunade slammed her fists down on her desk. "She WHAT?" her voice was loud enough to shake the whole room.

Sasuke merely closed his eyes, his mouth set in a thin line, wearing his usual stoic expression. "She left." He repeated after a moment.

There was a long agonizing silence that followed before there came a knock on the door.

"Yo…" came a casually lazy voice.

Sasuke's head came up at the sound of his former sensei's voice. "You're late." He muttered, not at all surprised.

Kakashi entered soberly, offering only an apologetic nod in the Hokage's direction. "You wanted to see me Tsunade-sama?" He asked.  
Tsunade's head dropped into her hands. It was a perfect way for her to hide the tears swelling in her eyes. "Sakura has gone missing." She said softly. Sasuke watched Kakashi's reaction. There hardly was one.

"I thought something like this would happen." Kakashi said quietly after a moment.

Sasuke's head jerked in his former sensei's direction. "You mean you actually _expected_ her to leave!" He nearly shouted.

Hatake Kakashi looked at Sasuke. "More or less. She's been trying to deal with what's happened in her own way. I only had only hoped that she wouldn't decide to follow your path, Sasuke."

Sasuke was beyond confused at this point, but he was too angry to care. "What the hell are you talking about?" He snapped, still angry at getting bested by his former teammate in his first ever match against her the night before. "And what's this crap about her following my path? I know that she left Konoha to find Orochimaru, but I don't know why!"

Kakashi sighed deeply and rubbed the back of his neck, looking to Tsunade to give the explanation.

"Sakura's parents were brutally murdered on their last mission." Tsunade began, her eyes growing bright with tears of empathy for her student. "They were captured by a man named Kabuto. I'm more than positive you remember him. It was about six months before your return." Tsunade said, looking Sasuke dead in the eye. "We weren't fully sure for a while if you were involved in the Haruno's murder, since this was before you came back to us. We received a sick sadistic message from my former teammate, gleefully telling about the demise of two of Konoha's weak Nins."

Sasuke flinched. _So that's why she was almost ready to kill me last night. She thought that I had something to do with killing her parents…_

"Anyways," Tsunade continued, rolling up a scroll on her desk and running her sleeve across her eyes. "The Haruno's were disarmed and held prisoner for a while, Kami knows how long he tortured them. Orochimaru was hell-bent on finding out Sakura's whereabouts. When her parents refused to say anything, Orochimaru had Kabuto execute them."

Sasuke's eyes widened and his chin dropped to his chest. Anger and hatred built up inside his heart. He tore his eyes away from the floor. He still had one question that hadn't been answered. "So why was Orochimaru after her? I never knew any of this." He said, angrily crossing his arms. Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "You weren't here when my sick former teammate tried to make a deal with me. He promised that my lover and my little brother's lives would be restored if I would heal the damage our former sensei, sandaime, did to his arms."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _So I guess he did know that I would betray him then…_ He thought. Tsunade continued. "I refused, after I realized that if I did heal him I would be betraying Konoha. I'm sure Naruto has filled you in on that battle." Sasuke nodded slightly. "So why is he after Sakura?" He asked again, still not getting the response he sought. "Sakura is my apprentice, Uchiha. She's the top medic-Nin in Konoha, after me. Can you not piece this together on your own? I thought you were supposed to be the Uchiha Genius." Sasuke frowned, his mind already working out the solution. He ignored the Hokage's sarcasm.

"He wanted her to come after him." He said after a moment, looking back up at Kakashi and Tsunade, his eyes had changed to Sharingan. "He sent that message in attempts to lure her out of Konoha on a hopeless quest for revenge. And you just let her walk out of here and right into his hands!" He screamed, already turning towards the door.

"UCHIHA!"

Sasuke froze for a split second, his hand already on the doorknob. "I know that this is a sensitive topic for you. But we had no choice but to tell her. Her parents had already been gone a month longer than they should have for this mission. It originally was just a recon mission before we were going to come and try to pull you out of there." Sasuke's heart shot up into his throat. _So it's my fault_. He thought, his stomach churning. He suddenly felt as if he were going to be sick.

"Do not doubt my apprentice's abilities. She was able to knock you out, one of Konoha's top elite ninjas, by using one of the oldest tricks in a medic's book." Tsunade said, recovering her composure. She eased herself back into her chair, closing her eyes.

"I'm going after her." Sasuke said, his eyes narrowing on Tsunade, as if darkly daring her to refuse him. "I will not sit here while she is in danger. This whole thing is my fault as it is."

Tsunade opened her eyes, leaning back in her chair. She was silent for a moment and her gaze reverted to Kakashi, who was staring at Sasuke dubiously. _Apparently Sakura isn't the only one who's grown._ She thought.

"Uchiha Sasuke." She said, looking back at him. His dark gaze met her almond one. "You are being placed as the head of the recon and retrieval team." Tsunade said. "If Sakura has really gone to Orochimaru's, then you're the best man for the job to lead us to them."

Sasuke bowed his head, hiding the huge look of relief on his face.

_You'd better bring her back alive, Uchiha._ Tsunade thought dangerously.

Suddenly, the door to her office burst open, and Yamanaka Ino charged in, tears streaming down her cheeks and a note clutched tightly in her fist. She was breathing hard, which only made her cry harder. It was evident that she'd run straight there from someplace. Ino's knees gave out and she sank to the floor.

"What is it Ino-chan?" Tsunade asked, immediately coming around the desk and placing her hands on the young kunoichi's shoulders. Ino shakily unclenched her fists, releasing the note. Ignoring the room's other two occupants; Ino drew a shaky breath, and began to read:

_Ino-pig,_

_I'm going after the bastards who killed my parents and destroyed my Sasuke-kun. Please don't follow me, as where I'm going I'm likely to-to-_ Ino choked on her words. _…likely to be killed. I won't stop until all members of Orochimaru's and Akatsuki are dead. Tell Sasuke-kun that I love him, like he'll really give a shit, and tell Tsunade-sama that I love her like I loved my mother._

_Have a great life Ino-chan. Aisheteru._

_Sakura_

Ino choked on Sakura's name, barely able to compose herself any longer. Tsunade pulled her into a tight embrace, letting the young kunoichi cry freely. She looked up at Sasuke, giving him a look that clearly said: _Bring her home._ He nodded before looking over at Kakashi. Kakashi stepped forward, offering to take Ino from Tsunade, but she just shook her head no. "Uchiha, your team will leave at nightfall—"

"Hokage-sama?" Ino interrupted, trying desperately to regain her composure. Tsunade's almond gaze met Ino's watery blue one. "I-I would like you to assign me to this mission. Sakura is my best friend. I want to do _something_." She said, wiping her eyes furiously, and drawing in a deep but still shaky breath. "Please." She said, swallowing hard and narrowing her eyes, showing that she was serious. Tsunade sighed, looking up over Ino's shoulder at Kakashi. He nodded silently, closing his one visible eye. Sasuke saw the exchange and narrowed his eyes. "Tsunade-sama, are you positive that this is a good idea?" He asked, looking at Sakura's best friend warily. Ino shot him a warning look. "I want to help." She said defiantly.

Tsunade sighed as she stood. "It is decided then. Yamanaka Ino, you will be under the command of Uchiha Sasuke. The both of you will be with a team of ANBU Nins. Your team leaves tonight. Go prepare yourselves."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Sasuke said, exiting immediately.

"Arigatou Tsunade-sama." Ino said, bowing gratefully, before she too, departed.

Night was fast approaching and she'd been traveling all day. She had to use some of her chakra to heal the damage done in her fight with Sasuke the night before. Her shoulder still ached, but it was pain that she could deal with. Sakura had been running, never stopping, for the majority of the day. She _had_ to get to Orochimaru's by the next day. She couldn't risk Tsunade sending an ANBU team after her.

She'd made it to the edge of Sound country, thanks to her dedicated trip. She stopped just outside the mountains that concealed the Hidden Village of the Sound. She found a perfect place to camp out for the night. It was right next to a hot spring, from which she would gain some cover from the steamy mist rising from it. She pitched camp and ate a quick dinner of the food that she'd brought along. She took a quick dip in the hot spring, easing her tired muscles, and using the warmth of the water to relax her mind. She hadn't been in the best mindset when she'd left Konoha, and her confrontation with Sasuke hadn't left her in better spirits either.

Getting out of the water, (she'd started to doze off) she snuggled into her sleeping bag, falling asleep almost instantly.

Sakura woke up early the next morning feeling completely refreshed and regenerated. She packed up her camping gear, and hid it behind a tree near her campsite. She would need to remember this place for the way back. She wouldn't need her pack where she was going.

It was midday by the time she reached Orochimaru's. Her almost perfect memory came through for her and she found his complex without much trouble at all. She slipped a kunai from her holster and snuck through the entrance. She failed to notice four figures all dressed in black and red hiding near the entrance, watching her every move.

Sakura recognized the layout of the building, as it was vaguely familiar from when she, Naruto, and Ero-Sennin had infiltrated it several years before…

Red Sharingan eyes watched the pink-haired kunoichi sneak into Orochimaru's stronghold.

"_There is a useful distraction. Itachi, keep and eye on her. We must move quickly to kill the Snake Sannin and the Leaf traitor called Kabuto."_ A deep gruff voice muttered in his headset.

"Hn."

Sakura crept along the shadows, moving as silently as she could. Down the corridor ahead, she saw movement and her heart raced. As she moved closer, she could hear and soon decipher voices. Her teeth gritted tightly and red flashed in front of her eyes, her heart going murderous as she heard Orochimaru's voice.

"She's my last hope Kabuto." He was saying. "She was trained well by Tsunade-chan, and since my former teammate has nothing precious to lose, it is only logical that her apprentice is now my target. She still, even after all this time, has something to lose."

"And what might that be, Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru's sick green eyes smiled and he turned to look directly in Sakura's direction. "Her life." He responded.

Sakura's heart raced with fear for an instant, but then her fear turned to anger. Her hands began trembling with the surging adrenaline coursing through her now rigid-still body.

"Why don't you face me like a true Shinobi Sakura, instead of cowering, hiding from me like a child?" Orochimaru taunted.

A defiant snarl escaped Sakura's lips. Another kunai was in her hand instantly and she pumped chakra into her legs, making her speed even faster now that she'd trained with Lee.

With a silent swish of his cloak, he appeared in the shadows of the room, almost directly behind his intended target, Orochimaru. His mission was to wipe out the Snake Sannin, but this young kunoichi would prove to be a worthy distraction. He smirked as he pulled three shuriken in between the fingers of his left hand.

He recognized the kunoichi when she turned to face Orochimaru in the light of the candles.

It was Haruno Sakura of Konoha.

_FLASHBACK_

_Eight-year old Haruno Sakura tore through the forest at top speed, wincing in pain from her broken ribs and bloodied up legs. Her matted hair flew behind her and her tears mixed with the blood from her nose and lip, and the nick in her cheek caused by a sharp rock thrown at her face. The blood and tears mixed giving it a salty, coppery taste as it fell into her mouth. Sakura spit disgustedly. She collapsed on the ground, shaking as tears and cries raked her body._

_13-year old ANBU Itachi was patrolling the borders when he stumbled upon the young kunoichi-to-be. She was curled up next to a tree, knees pulled painfully up to her chin, and tears streaming down her bloodied face._

_The elite ninja approached her quietly and knelt before her. "What are you doing out here so late and alone?" He asked softly. Sakura had lifted her head and flinched when she saw his face. "I-I..." she stuttered fearfully. Was she in trouble? ANBU had been sent out to retrieve her? Would Sandaime lock her up for being outside Konoha's gates this late at night? Sakura began trembling in fear. Itachi's dark eyes narrowed and he gently pulled her to his chest, holding the young girl in a soft, safe embrace. Sakura's trembling ceased almost instantly. "What happened to you?" Itachi kept his voice soft, soothing. Much in the same way that he spoke to his younger brother, Sasuke. Sakura lifted her eyes to face her savior. "Th-the other k-kids, t-they w-were b-b-beating me u-up bu-because m-my f-f-forehead is t-too b-big." Sakura's eyes filled with tears again. _

_Itachi frowned, and his gloved hand brushed her tears gently from her face. "You're going to be ok now Sakura." He said softly. He picked her up and carried her back into the village._

"_Itachi! Where have you—" His father shouted as the ANBU Nin entered the Uchiha Mansion. Itachi cut him off with a sharp look. Sakura had fallen asleep in his arms. Itachi took her to a guest room, where he cleaned and dressed her wounds. He did his best to be gentle as he set and wrapped her broken ribs. Sakura woke, crying softly in pain as he finished wrapping the bandages over her torso. "Where are your parents?" He asked, pulling one of Sasuke's shirts over her head. "A-away on a mission. They're supposed to be gone for another whole month." Sakura replied gloomily. _

_Too busy for their eight-year old daughter? Itachi's frown deepened. Just then, eight-year old Sasuke entered the room. His eyes met his brother's and he nodded acknowledgement before looking at Sakura. He eyes widened and she whispered, "Sasuke-kun…" Itachi smirked. So this girl had a crush on his little brother? "Niisan, Okaasan told me to let you know dinner is ready." He said, coming to stand by his brother's side. "Hai, Sasuke. Take care of this girl." Itachi said, getting up and ruffling his younger brother's hair in a big-brotherly fashion. Sasuke smiled. "Hai Niisan!" _

_END FLASHBACK_

_Foolish little brother…_ Itachi thought as he watched Sakura take a defensive stance. Her once innocent green eyes were now filled with an intense hatred that seemed out of place.

"You BASTARD!" Sakura screamed. She flew at Orochimaru, kunai clenched tightly in both fists, raised for the kill…

A/N: I know, I know, another cliffhanger…xD

I'm sorry! lol! I also won't be able to update for another few days because I've got so much going on this weekend! My best friend's cheer comp. (GO INO-CHAN!) and I'm also thinking about auditioning for a movie too…YIKES! xD Anyways, please R&R! The next chapter is gonna be kinda bloody…/ Hope you all won't get too sickened…

Ja ne for now! xD


	6. Death

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, cuz if I did, Orochimaru would admit that he's straight and would leave my Sasuke-kun ALONE!

**Here's chapter Five! WOOOOOOTTTT! Lol! Sorry it took so long to update guys! **

**Reviewers, you all seriously ROCK!**

**Thank you for being so patient! **

**Chapter 5:**

**Death**

"This way!" The ANBU squad leader directed. He'd picked up a familiar scent, one of cherry blossoms and a faint touch of honey…

Ino halted behind the ANBU Nin in front of her. Her blue eyes wide, searching for the cause of the group's sudden break in their hurried pace. She walked around the three other ANBU to find their leader kneeling underneath a nearby tree. Her heart flew into her chest as she gripped her collar of her shirt in anticipation. _Was Sakura there?_

Sasuke knelt by the trunk of the tree, finding only a traveler's pack. Inside, his heart sank. A look of remorse passed over his face before he quickly wiped it away. Standing up again, he turned his usual stoic look towards his group. His eyes locked with Ino's for a brief moment before she realized that he'd found nothing.

"It's hers." He said, holding it up before tossing it to one of the ANBU on his right. "Let's move. She was here only a few hours ago!"

The squad of ANBU quickly took off with him as he disappeared into the trees, following a very well-known path. A path that would lead him straight back to the hell that he'd escaped almost a year ago…

Ino's heart raced. She'd been listening to the other ANBU the night before, talking about Akatsuki's whereabouts. She hoped that _he_ was ok. She hadn't seen him in a while, and her heart melted at the thought of feeling his arms around her again. She smiled to herself. _I hope that you're ok Ita-kun…_

_FLASHBACK_

_11-year old Uchiha Itachi walked calmly through the streets of Konoha, obediently staying by his father's side as the pair continued on their trip to Hokage Tower. About halfway there, Itachi heard, "UCHIHA!"_

_He turned around to see his father actually smirking at another man. Itachi's dark eyes trailed up the other man's form as he saw a pair of small legs hanging down over the man's chest. He watched his father grasp the man's hand tightly in a friendly greeting.   
"Yamanaka, how are things?" _

_The man smiled proudly. "Going pretty well. It's been so long since I've seen you and your wife Fugaku." He said, his eyes then turning to the young man at Fugaku's side. _

"_This is my eldest son, Itachi." Fugaku answered Mr. Yamanaka's unspoken question. The flower shop owner smiled. He reached up, placing two hands underneath the girl's arms and pulled her quickly down from his shoulders. He turned her around so that she properly faced Fugaku. "This is my young daughter Ino." He said, proudly showing his child to his old friend. Uchiha Fugaku smiled slightly. "It is nice to meet you." He said, taking the girl's hand in his own. She smiled back and her eyes went to Itachi, who was standing casually off to the side, a bored look on his face. As her father began conversing with Itachi's father, Ino went to the outside buckets where long-stemmed cut flowers were being displayed. She hastily pulled one from the bucket, smiling secretly to herself as she hid it behind her back. She approached Itachi slowly, desperately trying to hide her blush. She was six years old, after all. She should start acting more grown up. _

"_Hai!" She said brightly, presenting Itachi with the purple flower._ _ His eyes found hers and he raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ino smiled as she put the flower in his hand. "For you, silly!" she said, laughing cutely before turning back to gleefully face her father. _A/N: The flower that Ino gave Itachi was a purple Iris, meaning "my compliments" the purple also meaning faith, hope, and passion; adding to it that it was and still is her favorite color..

_The two men had stopped their conversation to watch their children more closely. Mr. Yamanaka smiled warmly down at his daughter, gently patting her head as she returned to his side.   
"That's my little girl." He said proudly to her as he turned his eyes back to Fugaku. Mr. Uchiha only smiled tightly once again. "We should get going." He said, grasping Itachi's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "It was nice to meet you." Itachi said politely, turning to go. He gave Ino one last look as his father led him away from the Yamanaka Flower Shop.   
Ino's eyes widened as Itachi looked over his shoulder back at her as they departed. He smirked.   
"Arigatou." He said, almost mouthing the words to her so his father wouldn't know. Ino smiled, her heart leaping into her throat. _

He was so CUTE! _She thought gleefully to herself. She felt herself being picked up again and set back up on her father's shoulders. "Tousa, who was that man?" She asked, pulling her father's platinum blonde hair into her hands in an attempt to hold on better. _

"_That was Uchiha Fugaku. He and I were good friends a long time ago. Now we just know each other by reputation." Her father answered, pouring more water into the basin where the flowers were pruned and trimmed. Ino made a silent noise of understanding. "What did you think of his son?" Her father probed, knowing that he would get a squeal from his little girl. Instead though, Ino barely nodded. "He was nice." She replied, watching her father's reaction in the window. He smirked. "Yes, I'm sure he was." _

_Ino turned a bright red as she blushed. "Tousa, stop!" She whimpered as her father tickled her feet. He smiled at her and pulled her down. "C'mon, let's go find your mother so we all can go out for lunch!" He said, opening the door to the shop.   
"Okaasan!" Little Ino squealed the minute she saw her mother. "I met the nicest boy today!" "Oh really?" she replied, looking up at her husband as he came up behind Ino. He smiled down at her, a twinkle in his eye. _

_END FLASHBACK_

"Yamanaka."

The voice broke her out of her reverie. Her head snapped up and she stared up into a pair of onyx eyes. But they were not his. "Hai?" She asked. Sasuke stared at her for a moment before he turned around saying, "You need to focus. You almost went off away from the group. Stick with us. It's not going to be smooth ahead."

Ino's eyes were wide, before she frowned angrily. "I'll be fine thank you very much!"

Sasuke frowned. "Hn."

Ino's temper flared, but she remained silent, her embarrassment starting to wash away as the group took off again. But she could not ignore the looks sent in her direction the rest of the trip there. _Did Sasuke read my thoughts? Did he know I was thinking about his brother?_ Ino shook her head hard. "Impossible." She muttered to herself.

In a few short hours, the group of Konoha ANBU Nin came upon Orochimaru's hideout. Their captain shuddered slightly as his gaze rested upon the entrance. "Never thought I'd enter this place again willingly…God I was so stupid." He muttered to himself. Self-hatred washed through him for a moment before he regained his composure. He formed the group up, forming two groups. He would enter first, Ino coming along with him. The first group after him would be doing recon, while the other would follow up, covering the rear and serving as back-up.

The ANBU captain quickly gave his orders to his men, and they complied instantly. He however, had hopes of accomplishing his one personal goal…Finding Sakura.

Kunai clashed and punches and kicks were delivered and blocked. "Well well well, now this isn't the same little Kunoichi that I fought years ago!" Orochimaru's chuckle sent chills down Sakura's spine. The Snake Sannin came at her, but his teeth were showing, his mouth was open slightly in a sadistic smirk. The body that he'd inhabited had limitations on it, and Sakura calculated each of her moves, watching while being on the offensive, and then attacking the vulnerable spots while she was on the defensive. Her kunai sliced through Orochimaru's left shoulder, as he wasn't quick enough to dodge. She heard him curse with surprise, then hiss slightly in pain. She smirked to herself. She turned to face Orochimaru, completing a back handspring, dodging a high kick to her face. "Shall I mark you too kunoichi? Make your life mine as I did to Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura snarled, her green eyes filling with renewed hatred. "Don't you _dare_ say his name!" She screamed, pulling chakra into her hands as she performed the handseals Tsunade had taught her not so long ago.

Orochimaru's jaw dropped, the sadistic smirk wiped from his face as his mouth opened all the way to gape at her. "That's…" He broke off at the sight of his young opponent grinning widely.

"Yes, this is one of your former teammate's techniques." Sakura said evilly. _Where the hell did this tone come from?_ She thought in the back of her mind.

**_Teehehehe. Seems you have forgotten all about me._** Inner Sakura said gleefully. **_Now let's kill that bastard for hurting our Sasuke-kun!_**

Sakura raised her hands, and Orochimaru found himself at a disadvantage. He'd used a lot of his chakra on attacking, but it didn't seem to have phased the young kunoichi that much. He could only raise his hands in front of him in defense as Sakura brought her fist up into his face. Her other hand disappeared for a split second, and then reappeared at his feet. Sakura drove her left fist into the ground, splitting it underneath Orochimaru's feet. Her right hand, which had been used as a decoy for him to block her "punch", came back around, catching the sick madman in the face as he fell to the floor.

Itachi watched the scene impassively. _She has grown stronger since I last saw her._ He thought.

Sakura growled as she came to stand over Orochimaru. He looked up at her for a moment and smiled wickedly. Sakura felt the hairs on her neck stand on end when he started laughing.

"You truly are Tsunade-chan's apprentice girl. I will allow you to live, if you heal me."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "What the HELL is wrong with you? Do you honestly believe that I'll be that easy on you?" She yelled. "You're responsible for killing my parents you BASTARD! I'll remove your fucking arms before I even THINK about healing them!"

Orochimaru chuckled harder. "I think that she fails to grasp who is in charge of the situation, don't you agree?" He asked, looking beyond Sakura and over her shoulder.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama."

Sakura's blood ran cold at the sound of the new person's voice. She turned slowly around, only to look up into the glass-framed eyes of Kabuto. "Traitor." She spat. Tsunade had taught her much about this medic-nin-turned-traitor. "How could you even _think_ of helping this bastard and wasting all your talent?" She sneered, taking a defensive step backwards.

At this moment, her back was turned to her former opponent, giving him the advantage. He stood up immediately, pulling her slender form close to him and pressing a kunai to her throat. "You really are a foolish little girl." He spoke in a mocking tone, making Sakura's blood burn with anger. "Kabuto-kun, we have unwanted visitors. I do not want to be disturbed. See to it that you prove yourself to be a worthy distraction."

Kabuto's dark eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." He said, before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Ino and Sasuke walked almost back to back. Both scanning their surroundings carefully, making sure that neither would be caught off-guard.

"Nice to see you again, Sasuke-kun." A cold, drawling voice said to their right. Sasuke whirled around to face his former sensei's right-hand man. "Kabuto. What the hell do you want?" He asked.

Kabuto shook his head, chuckling slightly. He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose before opening his eyes to stare icily at the two Konoha Nin. "I should be asking you that same question, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke felt Ino tense at his side as Kabuto's eyes locked with hers. "Who's your pretty little friend Sasuke-kun? Don't tell me that you have abandoned your pathetic pink-haired kunoichi for her? Well, there's one less thing Sakura has to live for…" Kabuto taunted. Sasuke snarled, stepping forward towards Kabuto angrily. "Where is she? What have you done to her?"

Before he could even register what had happened, Ino screamed. He twisted out of the way in time to avoid a kunai thrown in his direction. Sasuke's eyes swirled from onyx to red with the Sharingan. "Let her go Kabuto." He said coldly. Ino was pinned to the wall, kunai pressing into her throat as Kabuto held her there, staring intently in Sasuke's direction.  
"What will you do Sasuke? Help your pink haired friend, or save this blond one?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't you even think about pulling verbatims on me Kabuto!" He snapped. He came at Kabuto, only to be kicked in the small of his back, hard. He rolled over on the ground, looking up in shock at the Kage Bunshin who'd been a decoy holding Ino in the bind. He flipped himself over, throwing his weight into his feet, spinning and kicking hard at the real Kabuto. He nailed his sharp kick in Kabuto's stomach, sending the older ninja to his knees, gasping in pain at his snapped ribs.

By this time, however, Ino had managed to free herself, using _Shinraiju no Jutsu_ (1). Her "opponent" let go of the kunai and his arms were now tied effectively behind his back. Ino smiled to herself as the Bunshin disappeared with a pop as her fist landed a deep hard punch in his face. "That'll teach you to mess with me!" She snapped, rubbing her throat before joining with Sasuke in fighting the real Kabuto.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed as he saw that Ino had defeated his clone. _Kuso, I underestimated her…_ He thought, pulling six shurikens from his holster. He threw them at Ino and Sasuke, hoping to catch the young shinobi off-guard, but to no avail. Ino, however, wasn't so fortunate. She managed to dodge a few of the ones from the first wave, but took one to her chest on the right side. She went down hard, landing on her side, screaming in pain. As Sasuke rushed to her side, she held up her hand, yelling, "Leave me! Get to Sakura! I'll finish him off!" Sasuke could only watch in amazement as Ino forced herself to her feet, one hand covering the deep wound on her side, the other gripping a kunai tightly.

Sasuke backed off as Kabuto closed in on Ino, hoping to finish her off before he could get to Sasuke. Ino came at him, using her strength in her legs to kick him in the jaw. Kabuto caught her foot, but thanks to the kunoichi's near-to perfect balance, she spun with the force of his push. Her other knee came around and nailed him in the groin. Kabuto leaned forward in pain, but ducked and rolled in time to avoid a kunai in his face. He came up behind Ino, thrusting his own kunai into her other side, stabbing her deep in the back. Ino screamed out in pain, right before she dropped to the floor, breathing hard.

At that moment, Kabuto felt another chakra presence behind him. He did a few quick handseals before he could recognize Akatsuki member Uchiha Itachi appearing behind him, ready to strike him dead with his katana. He rolled over, flipping himself over and landing in a crouch by the door. "Ja ne, Itachi-kun." He muttered with a smirk before disappearing with a "poof".

Ino whimpered softly on the floor. Her eyes were shut against the pain. Itachi turned his attention back to the bleeding kunoichi at his feet. He knelt beside her, pulling her hands away from her fresh wound on her back. She cried out as his fingers felt inside, determining the severity of it. A pang of sadness coursed through him as Ino's crying intensified when his fingers brushed her lacerated skin. Without waiting another minute, he pulled her to him, scooping her up bridal-style, and disappearing.

Sasuke followed the corridor deeper into the complex. He'd been there for almost six years. He knew this building like the back of his hand. He entered Orochimaru's main chamber. He saw signs of a struggle, blood on the floor and a long fissure in the ground. _Sakura._ He thought to himself.

He heard a scream further down in the building. His mind briefly thought of the possible places where Orochimaru could have taken her. His mind came to a conclusion at the prison chamber. He ran at full speed in the direction of the scream.

Sakura was thrown to the floor, her body slamming against the wall of the room as Orochimaru lifted his hand and placed it on the wall beside him. Bright purple chakra left his hand and surrounded the entire room, creating a chakra shield. It would prevent anyone from entering, or leaving.

"Now I have you all to myself my little kunoichi." Orochimaru said sadistically, stalking forward. Sakura tried to stand, but fear had begun to replace her anger. She really didn't know what he planned on doing to her, but she was going to make damn sure that he didn't curse her like he did Sasuke.

"You won't get away with this!" Sakura screamed, forcing her fear to disappear. Inner Sakura was yelling and cursing and kicking and screaming. **_ HOLY FUCKING SHIT! IF HE TRIES ANYTHING, I WILL KILL HIM! CUT OFF ALL HIS FUCKING APPENDAGES, STARTING WITH HIS SHORTEST!_** As if letting her inner self take over, Sakura raised a kunai in defiance, racing at Orochimaru in anger. He easily blocked the blow and pulled Sakura to the ground, pinning her there. "You cannot win against me child. I have so much that you feel that you have lost." Sakura screamed as Orochimaru bent her wrist with the hand holding the kunai in it. He squeezed hard, bending her wrist back until he heard a loud _pop_ and Sakura's blood-curdling scream as her wrist was broken. "Now that you can't perform handseals, you are no longer a threat to me."

Orochimaru said, smirking as he stood up.

"S-Sakura?" A whispered voice called from across the room. Sakura's heart froze. The pain from her wrist wasn't enough for her senses to block out that voice. "T-Tousa?" She whispered. She stood up, her eyes sweeping the room before the lights suddenly blazed on, blinding her for a moment. She nearly screamed when she saw her parents, locked up and chained to the walls of the two cells in the back of the room. That was when a foot nailed a sharp kick in her back from behind. Sakura went down hard, feeling a few ribs snap. "SAKURA!" Sakura rolled over, looking weakly up at Orochimaru. "You have a choice to make. I can keep you alive until the very brink of death, and then have Kabuto heal you so I can do this to you all over again." He said sickly. She felt her chest throbbing in pain as her weight pressed up against her broken ribs. "You will heal me, or they will die." He said, pointing to the Harunos.

Sakura forced herself to sit up, biting back a scream of pain. Her pink locks were tousled and dirty as she brought a hand up to pull them away from her eyes. Her jade orbs fell upon the two Konoha Nin, lying weakly against their restraints in their cells. "Tousa, Okaasan…" She whispered. Fresh tears filled her eyes as she looked upon her parents that for a year she'd believed had been dead.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Just think, if you do as I ask, you may see them and yourself live past this day…" He said, pulling Sakura's attention back to him.

Sakura snarled. "You…_BASTARD!" _ She screamed, throwing herself at him, punching and kicking at every possible place she could try to inflict pain on him. She fought the pain in her wrist as she brought her hands up to start performing the handseals to finish him.

Sasuke stopped dead at the doorway to the prison chambers. He felt Orochimaru's chakra shield around the room, and he would have a hard time trying to break it before he could come to Sakura's aid. He could only watch, for now, as his former teammate performed an almost impossible jutsu for her.

Sakura completed the final seal, and thrust her left hand towards the ground. In a split second, her chakra became visible and the sound of a thousand birds was overwhelmingly loud in the enclosed chamber. Orochimaru's eyes had widened in horror as Sakura performed a jutsu he'd only seen a select few capable of mastering— the Chidori.

Sakura's green eyes were filled with hatred and blood-lust as she looked back up at Orochimaru. The energy crackling in the room shorted out the lights; sending them all into almost complete darkness, save for the lightning swirling in the young kunoichi's hand. The light from the ball of chakra gave her green eyes an unusual unnerving look, and Orochimaru felt an uncharacteristic shiver shoot up his spine. "Impossible." He breathed.

"Hn." Sakura muttered.

"You don't honestly expect me to back down with this, do you?" Orochimaru asked, tauntingly. He knew that agitating her was a bad idea; she _was_ Tsunade's apprentice after all. But there was _one major_ thing that he knew would keep him alive.

Sakura was too kind-hearted to kill someone outright. Ninja or not, she'd never killed anyone before. She'd always fought in defense, and allowed her teammates to do the killing.

He smirked. He was safe.

Or so he thought.

"You won't be able to kill me." He said, crossing his arms casually over his chest. In an instant, he'd appeared next to her father, sinking his teeth deep into her father's neck, much in the same fashion as he did with Sasuke. Her father screamed out loud as Orochimaru ripped his teeth free from Mr. Haruno's skin. Orochimaru licked the blood from his lips sadistically. "I just poisoned your father. He has little less than an hour to live. If you don't back down, your precious mother is next." Sakura's eyes widened at first before they narrowed in anger.

"You will pay for that!" She screamed. She ran at Orochimaru, her left hand trailing behind her. She didn't stop at the last minute like he'd planned, but thrust her Chidori deep into his chest.

"DIE you fucking bastard!" Sakura screamed as she ripped her hand free, splashing his blood all over herself and the floor. Orochimaru coughed up blood as he dropped to his knees.

Sasuke could only watch in horror as the Snake Sannin fell to his knees, blood gushing from the wound an impossible jutsu had caused. An impossible jutsu performed by a surprisingly strong kunoichi.

Sakura stepped back, getting out of the way before Orochimaru's body fell on top of her. He lay, gasping for air at her feet. "Y-you w-weren't sup-posed to d-do th-that." He stuttered, his words getting softer with each breath. Sakura glared at him. "Seems you underestimated me. Too bad you won't be around to learn not to do that again." She said, pulling out a kunai and stabbing him in the throat, silencing him forever.

Sakura stood, and for a fleeting moment she looked down upon the man who'd made her life hell. He was dead. He was finally dead.

"You shouldn't have done that." A cold voice said from behind. Sakura turned around and looked up, screaming as a fist was planted into her stomach. She was thrown against the wall, blood spouting out of her mouth with the impact. She sat there for a minute, trying to grasp what had just happened.

"Orochimaru was too soft on you. I will not make that same mistake." Sakura finally registered that it was Kabuto.

A searing pain suddenly shot into her stomach, and she looked up to see Kabuto standing over her, his left hand glowing with a medic's chakra scalpel. Her eyes widened in horror, and she fought the impulse to scream. She felt her body being lifted by her throat. She was stabbed again by the scalpel, sending another sharp pain through her before he threw her against the wall.

This time, however, she did not get up. Sakura's eyes closed before she heard a shriek of pain come from her parent's direction. She forced herself to sit up, and what she saw next made her want to throw up.

Her father's head was off his shoulders completely, and a katana stuck out of her mother's chest. They were both more than obviously dead, when just minutes before they had been alive…

Kabuto stood, leaning up against the doorway, a kunai twirling casually in his fingers. "You won't make it out of here alive." He said icily.

(1) Ino's _Shinraiju no Jutsu_ Mind Manipulation Technique

**A/N: Oooo kuso! Another cliff-hanger! Don't worry guys! I'm on a slight break from school, so I will be updating again within the week! xD **

**You all just gotta find out what happens to Ino-chan, ne? xD**

**Ja ne for now! Please review!**

**Arigatou!**

_Uchiha Sakura_


	7. Stained Cherry Blossoms

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. xP SUCKS.

Reviewers, you all have been awesome! I got my 50th review with chapter six! I'm so happy! Thank you all so much for staying with me and supporting me as I worked on this story.

I know, I'll shut up. This story is FAR from over! xD

I'm also sorry for being that "evil author who loves cliffhangers way too much." If it weren't for school and cheerleading/tumbling, I would be updating every OTHER day. lol!   
Anyways, shutting up and getting to the story! Thanks for reading guys!

**Chapter 6:**

**Stained Cherry Blossoms**

ANBU cleared all the rooms of the Snake Sannin's hideout. Their captain had just put in an order for as many of them to come to the prison chambers, immediately. His voice was hushed, but still sharp and urgent.

_Klang!_ The sound of metal upon metal could be heard throughout the halls and the expected screams of pain from an already weakened Sakura could be heard, loud and clear. Every gasp or shriek of pain that she let out, Sasuke flinched. He grew angrier by the minute, knowing that he could only stand by and watch her battle to the death with the one responsible for killing her parents.

Kabuto laughed as he slashed Sakura across her chest with his blade. She was moving much slower now, and her movements had begun to get sloppy. She blocked most of the attacks sent at her, but unfortunately didn't catch them all.

"You are a worthy opponent young kunoichi. Much more worthy of an honorable death now than you were a few years ago."   
Sakura yelled as she dodged the shuriken thrown at her, though one of the six catching her in the side, opening a deep gash that caused her to double over in pain. Her body was beyond numbness, as it had sustained a lot of damage already. Her medic side took over, and for a moment she took inventory of the severity of her wounds. Kabuto's chakra scalpel had cut through several of her muscles, making her scream in pain every time she moved. She knew she probably had a lot of internal bleeding, thanks to him, and that too, she wouldn't have long to live. She had to finish this quickly, before he finished her.   
"U-Urusei." She muttered, forcing herself to her feet again. She could feel Sasuke's chakra getting closer to her, but she knew that by the time he got to her she would probably be dead.

With a huge sudden burst of determination, Sakura sucked in a sharp breath of air. She forced her body to move, even though at this point a normal human being would be dead cold. "I won't lose to you, you filthy, disgraceful _bastard_!" She threw a kunai in Kabuto's direction, but he easily dodged it, and she locked her other kunai with his in a death-lock. Their faces were just inches apart. _So close I can actually spit in his face and it would reach too._ She thought shrewdly.

"You can't win young kunoichi. I'm much stronger than you." Kabuto taunted. Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You willing to bet your life on that?" She snapped.

Kabuto smirked. "Are you?" He asked.

The Konoha ANBU captain analyzed the situation. Blood covered the floor between the prison chamber's two combatants. Had the situation not been dire, and his presence crucial to remain hidden, Sasuke would have cheered Sakura on. He waited impatiently for the rest of his team to arrive. He silently hoped that Ino was okay too, considering that her opponent was now fighting her best friend.

"Uchiha-san!"

Sasuke turned around, to find his group of ANBU Nins rushing up to him. He put a finger to his lips, in an attempt to keep their presence hidden from Kabuto. "Here's the plan. I need several of you to help me break through this chakra wall. Sakura isn't going to last much longer, and I refuse to stand by and watch her get killed. Orochimaru is dead, Sakura disposed of him already. We need to go in, get her out and get rid of Kabuto. Everyone clear?" He asked, briefly briefing his teammates on what had happened. They all nodded gravely, looking on to witness Sakura take a bad blow to her chest from the chakra scalpel.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed angrily as he signaled to his group to disperse around the room on the outside. Once the group of ANBU Nin had completely surrounded the room, they all clasped their hands together, forming the Tiger Seal.

"On three." Sasuke said into his headset, speaking to them all. "We'll only be able to make a minor breach. I'm going in."

"Hai, Uchiha-san." He heard.

"One...Two...Three!" He said.

"KAI!" All eight of the Nin shouted at once.

Sasuke saw the chakra shield waver slightly, and he dove right in, not wasting another second. The chakra shield broke as he entered through it, and soon, the Konoha Nin had intervened, just in time too.

It took six ANBU Nin to restrain Kabuto. Sakura fell to her knees, her strength beginning to leave her quickly now that she wasn't in the heat of battle. As soon as her eyes fell on the restrained Kabuto, did her heart fill with malice all over again. The ANBU Nins were taking control of the situation, but they weren't fast enough to catch her hands, which were now performing seals for one last jutsu.

Sakura's emerald eyes narrowed upon the man who'd killed her parents. Completing the final handseal, she repeated her actions the same way with the jutsu she'd used to kill Orochimaru. Kabuto's face remained impassive, albeit he hardly showed the fear that he was beginning to feel inside.

Sakura's eyes were filled with bloodlust.

"CHIDORI!" She screamed, shoving her way out of the group of ANBU Nins and driving her right fist with the glowing, crackling ball of chakra into Kabuto's heart. His eyes widened and he gasped in pain and surprise.

"Die you bastard. Feel the pain that you put my parents though!" She screamed, yanking her hand free from his chest, blood splashing all over herself and the closest Nin around her.   
Kabuto smiled as Sakura dropped to her knees, completely drained and out of chakra. "Y-you may h-have killed m-me," He stuttered, still smirking. "B-but you're al-almost d-dead yourself." Sakura felt her body dropping to the ground. He was right. She'd used up all of her chakra, including the small amount she'd had in reserves.

Kabuto gasped one last time, before his heart stopped beating. The sick thing was, Sasuke noticed, was that you could see the traitor Medic Nin's heart through the hole that Sakura had punched through his chest with the Chidori. It collapsed, and the air left Kabuto's body forever.

Sasuke turned around in time to see Sakura fall. He caught her by her upper arms, just before she fell to the floor. Her eyes were partially closed, but tears streamed from her eyes anyway. Finally, she looked back up at her "rescuer." Her green eyes widened.

"Sasuke-kun?" She whispered.

He smirked at first, but then it turned into a smile. "Aa." He said, gently brushing stray strands of pink from her eyes. _Kami…I'm so glad I found her alive._

Sakura was speechless at first, but she suddenly threw her arms around his neck, pulling him tightly to her. She winced noticeably from her injuries, but she held on tight, refusing to let go. Sasuke felt her grip around him tighten. His first instinct told him to grab onto her tight too and never let go, but he held back. He knew she was in pain and he didn't want to hurt her more. He was just more than relieved to have her alive, and even more happy to have her in _his_ arms. He smirked.

The other ANBU Nin scanned the area, making sure that there were no remaining members of Orochimaru's that needed to be taken out. They returned after a while, reporting back to their captain that the place had been secured.

Sasuke nodded affirmative. He looked down at Sakura, who he could see was struggling to stay conscious. "It's okay." He whispered softly. He pulled her closer as he felt her sigh just softly enough for him to hear. She succumbed to the darkness that had been threatening to come. Sasuke sighed deeply as he felt her go limp in his arms. He wrapped her tighter in his arms as he stood, moving to follow the rest of his team out of the complex and to the rendezvous point. He took one last look at the room containing the remains of four dead ninja. Two innocent, two criminals. His heart wrenched as he realized the two Konoha Nin were Sakura's missing parents. He fought to swallow the lump forming in his throat as he carried his former teammate out of the hideout and into the forest.

_She's just like me._ He thought as he raced to the rendezvous point, with Sakura unconscious on his back.

Tsunade's eyes widened at the bundle in her returning ANBU captain's arms. "Mission complete." Sasuke's second in command reported, bowing respectfully to the Hokage. Sasuke stayed silent and he locked gazes with Tsunade. She could see the urgency in his eyes, and without a second thought, she whispered, "Go." Relief at seeing her apprentice alive again washing through her like a tidal wave.

At her words, Sasuke disappeared, racing his unconscious teammate to the hospital.

The minute he arrived, the medics took Sakura from his arms and he was left to wait agonizingly in the waiting room. With a good long while to mull over his thoughts, Sasuke sat on a bench, his ANBU mask slipping from his head to behind his neck and shoulders. With his head dropping into his hands, he hunched his shoulders, trying hard to hide his face.

Witnesses would testify too to this…

It was the first time in years that the ice-cube Uchiha cried.

**A/N: Oooo! So it's coming along, ne? To answer everyone's questions, details on what happens to Ino-chan and Itachi will come in the next chapter!   
Don't worry people, Sakura will be ok. **


	8. Recovery

**Disclaimer: ** I don't own Naruto; cuz if I did, Kakashi sensei would stop reading those perverted books!

**narutofan4ever**

**Heartless Ghost** Hehehe. You'll just have to keep reading and find out! lol!

**Shinobi Darkbeak**Arigatou!

**susakuru** xD

**JennyKim319** Yeah, I know it was. I'm sorry if its too much for you all to handle. But most of the blood and gore parts are over and done with.

**Mezumi** lol, ok!

**unyield-wish 813** Come on babes, this is a SASUSAKU fic! hehehe! Of COURSE there's more SasuSaku fluff to come! I just didn't want to overdo it, ya know?

**Blood Stained Sorceress** Thank you for staying with me still!

**BlackAngelBlood** Nani "Ja mata Airy" desu ka? xD I know "Ja ne" is see you later, or "Ja mata ne" but never heard of this one before! xD Forgive my ignorance.

**Broken and Fallen Angel of Death** You'll see! I don't know if "Hell itself" will freeze over, but it will come damn close!

**agent-doo** hehehe. Sure! He's turning from being that cold-hearted bastard into an actual caring human being.

**Dances With The Wind** (GASP!) Keep reading! Lol!

**ying yang dragons** mmhm! Itachi and Ino. xD But you'll just have to wait to find out what happens! This story isn't over yet!

Reviewers, you all seriously are awesome. I really appreciate you all reviewing and giving me feedback! The questions too help me to make sure my story is detailed enough so you all won't get confused. xD Anyways, here's chapter 7!

**Chapter 7:**

**Recovery**

The cool night air was chilly as he raced through the forest, the young kunoichi in his arms. Her wounds were deep, and she was losing blood at a rapid rate. She was scared, as Itachi felt her heart pounding. Quickly deciding what to do, Itachi stopped, dropping from the trees by a hot spring. He gently laid Ino on the ground kneeling next to her.

"You must calm down Ino. You will die of blood loss if you do not."

Ino's eyes were squeezed shut in pain, but she nodded slightly to show that she did hear him. She felt him pull the fabric away from her skin, trying to get a closer look at her wounds. She cried out in pain as she felt his fingers probe the area on her lower back. Itachi frowned. The wound from Kabuto's kunai was deep, and had just missed her spinal cord by a centimeter.   
"Here." Itachi muttered quietly, pulling out a piece of cloth from his robe. He wadded it up and put it in her mouth. "Bite down on that. This is going to hurt a little."

Tears were streaming down Ino's face as she felt him start to wipe the blood away. "I've got to get this closed before you lose any more blood." She heard him say. Itachi took some bandages from his pouch, dipping another cloth into the water. Coming back to her side, he carefully wiped the blood away before he started to clean the wound. Ino screamed into the cloth in her mouth, the pain almost too much for her to bear. Itachi hated seeing her like this, but he knew that if he didn't stop the blood flow that he would lose her forever. He concentrated his chakra to his right hand, placing it over the wound on her back. The process was long and excruciating, but before long the deep, almost fatal gash was slowly closed up, the blood flow stopping and the skin beginning to heal. Itachi bandaged the rest of the wound, as well as the one from the shuriken on her shoulder.

Once it was over, Itachi looked at Ino's face. Her cheeks were tear-streaked, and her eyes were glazed over. He gently rolled her over, pulling her closer to him. Ino weakly looked up at him, the cloth hanging slightly from her mouth. Itachi took the cloth from her, brushing strands of blonde from her eyes. "Sleep." He said quietly, his eyes changing to Mangekyou. Ino's eyes widened in horror at first, but after a minute she was trapped in his tsyikumoi. Her eyelids drooped, and a second later she slumped against his chest, sound asleep.

Ino opened her eyes, looking around her but seeing nothing but red and white around her. She was in a room, but she didn't recognize where she was. She backed herself into the corner of the room, her feet shuffling before she dropped to her knees. She'd heard from Sakura what had happened to Kakashi sensei when Itachi had trapped him in a doujutsu like this. But Itachi wouldn't do that to her, would he?

"N-no." she whispered.

"Relax." A voice said from behind. Ino froze. "I-Itachi-san?" she whispered, fearing what would happen if she looked him in the eyes again. She felt her body being lifted, and she closed her eyes tight. She felt herself being laid on something soft and a hand gently brushing her cheek.

"It's okay Ino. Just relax. You were badly hurt. I brought you here so you can recover. I'm in charge of time here. I will make sure that you will be okay physically before I allow you to wake up." Itachi spoke in a soft tone, his fingers gently stroking her hair.

Ino slowly opened her eyes. He smiled slightly down at her before his hand brushed over her eyes, closing them. "Rest." He said.

Suddenly Ino felt very tired. A strong reassuring sense of safety washed over her and she allowed herself to succumb to darkness.

Several hours passed. The clock on the wall showed that it was already after three in the morning. But the ANBU captain hardly showed any sign of fatigue, just extreme worry.

He'd dried his tears and taken to pacing through the waiting room. He'd declined the countless offers for coffee that the receptionist nurse offered.

"Sir, I think it would be best if you went home and got some—"

"I'm not leaving until I know that she's ok." He interrupted sharply, cutting off her statement before she could finish her sentence. She sighed as she watched the young Shinobi complete another pace. Standing up, she walked towards the head medic's office. Opening the door, she entered to find a medic Nin passed out, her head on the desk.

"Shizune-san?" the receptionist nurse asked. Shizune's head shot up, looking horrified for a second before she calmed down enough to take a deep breath and wipe the sleep from her eyes.

"Hai?" Shizune asked, standing. "Does Tsunade-sama need me to take over for her?"

The nurse shook her head, but a ghost of a smile had crossed her face. "I was just wondering if you could perhaps talk a certain stubborn ANBU captain into going home and getting some rest."

Shizune froze for a moment, before she smiled as well. "I do not think that is possible Kaori. This ANBU captain you're talking about is none other than Uchiha Sasuke. That boy hardly listens to anybody." Kaori smiled. "Very well Shizune-san." She said, moving to exit the room.

"Kaori-san?" Shizune asked, heading out from around the desk. "Please inform Tsunade-sama that I will be joining her. I'm sure that by now the most of the damage has been repaired, but Tsunade-sama must be growing weary at this point."

Kaori nodded as Shizune went to prepare to enter the operating room where Sakura was being treated.

As she came out, however, Sasuke was waiting for her. "What's going on?" He demanded, the ferocity in his voice betraying his worry. Kaori smiled. "It's ok Uchiha-san. Shizune is now taking over for Tsunade-sama."

Sasuke's eyes softened and he dropped his gaze to the floor. He grudgingly walked back towards the bench and sat down once again, his head in his hands.

Kaori smiled as she looked over at him. "Would you now like some coffee Uchiha-san?"

Tsunade looked up from her work as soon as Shizune entered. "Hurry, I need you to help me close up these arteries. I've got the majority of the damage taken care of, but I'm almost out of chakra." Tsunade said urgently. Shizune nodded as she gathered her chakra to her hand. With a quick glance at Sakura's face, her heart melted. The girl's face was pale with loss of blood. She walked over to where Tsunade was, and healed each artery that Tsunade pointed to. This continued on for another hour or so before Sakura's heart stabilized, and her breathing grew slowly back to normal. Stitching the last deep wound back together on Sakura's side, Tsunade exhaled deeply. As soon as the bandages were wrapped tightly over the wound, Tsunade smiled and gave a huge whoop of delight. She grabbed Shizune in a tight hug, tears springing to her eyes. "Sakura's going to be ok!" She cried happily before she dropped to her knees next to the operating table.   
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed, dropping to Tsunade's side. She smiled. "I'll be ok Shizune. Let me get up. I've got a certain ANBU captain to send home."

Shizune smiled. "Hai Tsunade-sama!" She said, pulling the Hokage to her feet. Tsunade took one more glance at her apprentice, and couldn't help but smile. "You did it Sakura." She whispered softly before walking out of the O.R.

Sasuke looked up when he saw a tired Tsunade come out of the O.R. where the nurses had taken Sakura almost seven hours ago. His heart jumped into his throat as he saw the weary look on the Hokage's face. But his heart melted with relief when he saw Tsunade smile warmly at him. "The surgery was successful. She had a lot of internal damage thanks to Kabuto's chakra scalpel. I'm not really sure how she managed to stay alive. She should have died from the internal bleeding, but she pulled through. You did a good job getting to her in time. Good work Uchiha." Tsunade said tiredly. She sat down on the bench. "Sakura is being moved to the recovery wing." Sasuke nodded slightly, still dazed in relief that his former teammate wouldn't be leaving him alone for good. He fought the tears of relief that threatened to come. He usually didn't have this problem, but his emotions always seemed to show more when it came to his pink-haired teammate.

"Get some rest Uchiha." Tsunade said, clasping his shoulder. "Before we began, Sakura whispered, 'Thank you Sasuke-kun.' " Sasuke saw Tsunade wink. "She'll be ok, but you won't be able to be there when she wakes up later on if you don't go home and get some rest." Tsunade admonished gently. She squeezed his shoulder before turning to go.

Sasuke bowed his head for a moment. Just before Tsunade was out of ear-shot, however, did he mutter, "Thank you."

She smiled but didn't turn around. "Get some rest Uchiha. Don't make me tell you again, otherwise I'll take it as a direct defiance of my order." Sasuke nodded, picking up his mask which had fallen onto the bench. But he didn't listen.

Instead, the minute Tsunade was out of sight, and Kaori wasn't at the front desk, he stealthily snuck to the recovery area and hid himself in the shadows, waiting.

He watched as Sakura was brought in a few moments later by the medics. Once they were done tucking her in and hooking her up to an IV drip, they left the room.

Sasuke walked to her side. The blood was gone, as was the grime of battle. Her porcelain skin looked angelic in the moonlight coming through the window. He gently, yet hesitantly reached forward and brushed a few strands of her pastel pink hair from her closed eyes.

_Thank you Sasuke-kun._

He smiled. With one last look at Sakura, Sasuke sat down in the chair next to the bed. He moved it closer so he would be next to her. Taking her hand in his own, he laid his head down on the bed, closing his eyes. _I will protect you Sakura, I promise._ He thought as he slipped into a peaceful sleep.

The sunlight shone brightly through the window, splaying warm rays on her face. Her brows furrowed as she squinted, trying to block the sunlight from getting in her eyes. Finally giving up on the hopeless attempt, she rolled over; wincing in pain as her senses slowly became fully awake.

"Kuso." she whispered. Opening her eyes, she allowed herself to take in her surroundings. She was lying on an extremely comfortable futon in the center of a stonewalled room. Her memory came back as soon as she saw the black and red clouded cloak resting over the chair in the corner of the room.

Her eyes widened and her heart beat faster as she tried hard to sit up.

"You shouldn't be trying that just yet." A smooth voice said from behind.

Ino jerked her head around, wide blue eyes meeting crimson red ones.

"Itachi-san…" she breathed. He smirked.

_FLASHBACK_

_15-year old Yamanaka Ino tore through the forest. She was chasing down one of the criminals of a nearby village along with Sakura and Naruto. They were getting closer as she could feel the enemy's chakra getting closer. Suddenly, a volley of kunai shot through the trees at the pursuers. Ino barely dodged them, taking minor hits as the rest of the Konoha Nin moved safely out of the way. _

"_Ano! Daisyoobu Ino-chan?" Sakura called from her place on a branch not so far away. Ino nodded, looking ahead to see the criminal take his place amongst the large group of Nin he seemed to be a part of. _

"_Ja…You guys seem to want to fight me, ne?" He called from his group. Naruto's eyes narrowed on him. "I will make you pay for your crimes against those people back there in that village!" He cried, jumping from his hiding place in the higher branches. His hands formed a cross seal as he shouted, "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" Several clones of himself appeared, and all at once they attacked the group that the criminal Nin had been hiding in. Sakura rolled her eyes as she too joined the battle. _

_Ino grabbed several kunai in between her fingers. "SAKURA!" She shouted. Her best friend caught her eye, and the look that was sent got the message through as Sakura nodded almost nondescriptly. _

_Ino jumped into the air, positioning herself to strike, while Sakura did the same. Her best friend mirrored her movements, both meeting together before they descended upon the group of criminal Nin. Sakura threw the shuriken she'd armed herself with while Ino threw her kunai. "KUNOICHI...SHI SHI RENDAN!" Both girls screamed as they performed round-house kicks into the heads of the Nin closest to them. A few more well-placed kicks and stabs were delivered before the criminal Nin had been taken out. _

"_SHANNARO!" Sakura screamed, thrusting her fist in the air in victory. But a sudden scream to her right tore her attention back to her best friend, now in a choke hold by the original Nin that they'd been hunting. Ino struggled hard against the Nin's restraint, and consequently, the kunai he held dangerously close to her throat pierced her skin. She cried out in pain and terror as the blade dug deeper into her skin. _

"_LEAVE ME! Or she dies!" The man screamed at Sakura and Naruto. Naruto growled and started to stalk towards the guy. Sakura immediately stopped him. "Yamete, Naruto. We need a plan—" She was cut off by the sound of metal crashing into something. Her eyes darted back to where the man was standing; only to find the spot deserted, save for his body, which was sliced by what appeared to be a katana wound to the back. _

_Ino was nowhere to be found._

"_INO-CHAN!" Sakura screamed, tears springing to her eyes as she fearfully looked around for her best friend._

_Ino groaned a little, her body feeling numb at first as she slowly woke up. Her eyes opened and she looked around at her surroundings. _

"_Where am I?" she whispered. _

"_Safe, for now." A deep voice said from behind her. Her head jerked in the direction of the voice, only to yelp in pain as the bandages covering the wound on her neck pulled on the sensitive skin. "I would take it easy for a while, Ino-chan." The owner of the voice said smoothly. He came to stand in her view. Ino studied him closely for a minute. This person was familiar to her in a way, but she just couldn't place him. His dark, raven hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and the lines beneath his eyes showed that he hardly ever slept. _

_He smirked. _

_Her heart jolted._

"_I-Itachi-kun?" She whispered. _

_END FLASHBACK_

"Ah, so I see you do remember me." He said, coming around the futon to sit next to her. Ino's heart was pounding with anticipation. She hadn't seen him in almost three years, but that didn't change the way that she felt about him. She froze when she felt his hand underneath her chin.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, looking deep into her eyes. "I-I'm o-ok Itachi-san." She whispered, her stomach filled with butterflies. He smirked. "It's been a while, hasn't it Ino-chan?" He asked softly. Ino nodded, not quite believing the sight in front of her. A long moment of silence passed between them before she knew what had happened, she'd thrown her arms around him, pulling him close to her. "I missed you so much!" She squealed, tears springing to her eyes as she hugged him tighter.

Itachi looked down at her, slightly surprised. He didn't expect her to react this way, but it made him glad that she did. He pulled her closer to him, hugging her back and burying his face in her hair. "I almost lost you." He said, not letting go. Ino cried softly, her tears wetting his shirt.

They stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity. When Itachi finally pulled away, Ino had snuggled against him, playing gently with his shirt. He smirked and ran his hand through her hair, making sure she had stopped crying.

"You fought hard." He said, eyeing the wound on her shoulder. "You've gotten stronger since the last time I saw you."

Ino smiled. "Well, I had to. I couldn't let my best friend get stronger than I." Itachi smirked. "That so?" He asked, pulling her closer to him. "Uh huh." Ino said, playing with his hair. "I'm curious to see how much you've changed." He commented, not taking his eyes off of her.

Ino smiled, and grabbed him by his collar. She pulled him to her and pressed her lips to his. Itachi responded immediately, running his tongue over her lower lip. Ino opened her mouth slowly, allowing him to take control. She smiled slightly as Itachi deepened the kiss, pulling her against him so that they both fell to the bed. His weight pinned her to the bed as they kissed passionately.

When they broke apart, Ino looked up into his eyes. "That's different." He whispered, smirking. Ino smiled. "It _has_ been a long time Itachi-san." She said, running her fingers through his hair like she'd dreamed of doing for years. Itachi caught her hands with one of his own.

"Don't be so formal with me." He admonished playfully before capturing her lips again with his own. Ino melted into his chest, her heart filling with happiness as Itachi pulled her closer.

It really _had _been too long…

Just when she'd gotten comfortable again, the door to the room opened, and another Akatsuki member walked in. His beady black eyes focused on them for a moment before he smirked.

"Glad to see you got her back Itachi." Kisame said, picking up a scroll from the desk and heading out again.

Ino's eyes had widened and her heart pounded hard against her chest. _What's gonna happen now that they know I'm here?_ She thought fearfully.

Itachi looked down at her and smiled at the look on her face.

"He won't say anything unless I say it's ok to." He said softly, reassuring her. His hand stroked her shoulder before it slid up her neck and to her chin. Ino nodded, not taking her eyes off of his face. Itachi smirked again as he pulled her into a hug. "You should rest. Your wounds are no longer life-threatening, but your body is still weak." He said upon releasing her. He pulled the comforter up to her chin before planting a kiss on top of her forehead.

Ino smiled slightly. She still couldn't begin to fathom how a man like Itachi could be so gentle and kind. This man was a cold-blooded murderer and tormentor of her best friend's love. Ino wondered to herself, as Itachi picked up his cloak and exited the room, if he would not want to kill her once he found out about her true mission.

Tsunade was up early the next morning, racing to the hospital to check up on her apprentice. She'd only gotten about five hours of sleep, but the coffee was doing its job and she was more than motivated to get moving quickly in the morning.

She reached the front desk and picked up her medic coat which she'd tossed on the rack earlier that morning.

"Ohayo Gozaimasu Tsunade-sama!" The two nurses on duty said. Tsunade smiled at them, muttering a quick, "Ohayo!" before racing to the elevator.

Once on Sakura's level she brusquely walked to her apprentice's room, only to stop dead as she sensed another Nin's chakra in the room. She frowned as she eased the door open, not making a sound. _Who could be in here with her? Visiting hours haven't started yet!_

The sight before her made her heart nearly stop, and it leapt into her throat as her eyes brimmed with tears.

Uchiha Sasuke, ANBU captain and known to many in the village as Konoha's icy bastard, was sound asleep by Sakura's side. His hand encircled hers, and his head lay next to her shoulder.

Tsunade clapped a hand to her mouth as she stepped back, already closing the door. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks as she returned to the front desk.

"Hokage-sama is Sakura-san ok?" one of the nurses asked worriedly, eyeing Tsunade's face.

Tsunade looked back in the direction of the elevator.

"Don't worry. She's in good hands." She said, smiling at the nurses' ignorance to Sasuke's presence. _Damn Uchiha. Leave it to him to follow orders like that…_ She smiled again as she went to go find Shizune.

**A/N: hehehe. So what did you all think? xD What do you all think Sakura's gonna do when she wakes up? contemplates You all will just have to wait and find out! Oh yeah, PLEASE feel free to post suggestions as to what you all think should be added in this story! I'm open to all ideas! I would LOVE your input as you all are obviously taking the time to read!**

**ARIGATOU!  
Uchiha Sakura**


	9. Step 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. IT'S NOT FAIR! (kicks and screams) xD

This story is coming along pretty well, I just am having trouble updating as often as I'd like. **Thank you all for reading and reviewing!** I know its getting intense, but don't forget that this IS a SasuSaku fic! lol!

**Chapter 8:**

**Step 1**

_Blood_

_Screaming_

_Terror_

_Helplessness_

Sakura walked through the darkened corridors of Orochimaru's hideout. She'd managed to kill Kabuto and the Snake Sannin, but now she was looking for her parents.

"Where are they?" She whispered out her worried thoughts.

As if on cue, a door up ahead of her opened slowly. Sakura heard whispers. She ran down the darkened hallway and came to a dead halt at the threshold of the room.

Both of her parents lay in a large pool of blood in the center of the room.

"Sa-Sakura?" Her father whispered.  
Sakura threw herself to the floor, oblivious to the blood drenching her clothing. She gathered her chakra to her hands and desperately pumped it into her father's dying body.

"Sakura, s-stop. I'm al-already d-dead." Her father whispered, lifting his hand weakly to grip her shoulder.

Sakura's shoulders slumped as she stared at her father's dying body, tears welling up in her eyes. "TOUSA!" She screamed.

Suddenly, her father's dying body gained inhuman strength and Sakura was grabbed by her throat and slammed into the wall.

"I wouldn't be dead, nor would your mother be if you hadn't been so fucking stupid!" He bellowed. Sakura's eyes were wide with fear and full of unshed tears. Her father stomped forward, fiery anger and a thirst for blood shone in his eyes.

"You betrayed Konoha by letting us die! We were to bring important information back to the Hokage! But you and your foolish emotional kunoichi self had to interfere and mess our mission up!"

Sakura started to cry. She hunched over onto her knees, hugging her torso tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" she muttered.

Her father stalked forward. His cold dead fingers reached out and snatched Sakura up by her throat and pinned her to the wall.   
Emerald eyes met her father's glazed over blue ones. Sakura eyes widened in complete horror as her "father's" face crumbled away to reveal Orochimaru's hideous face.

"You betrayed Konoha and your parents. Without their knowledge, Konoha will die." His grip on her throat intensified, causing Sakura to scream, trying to breathe.   
"You are dead, foolish kunoichi."

Sasuke felt Sakura's skin turn ice cold. His eyes snapped open and he looked up to see if she was awake. Sweat beaded on her forehead and tears were slipping out from under her closed eyelids. Suddenly, she grimaced and started trembling. Sasuke knew she was nearing consciousness.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sakura screamed. Her eyes had snapped open and she tried to sit up, but was prevented.

Sasuke, who'd seen her inhale sharply, immediately covered her mouth with his gloved hand. Sakura resisted him greatly and he wound up getting on top of her, his body straddling her to hold her still.

"Sakura!"

Sakura's tear-filled eyes looked up at him. She couldn't stop crying. Her screaming ceased as soon as she recognized him. Sasuke slowly and cautiously removed his hand and he released her.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun?" She whispered. He nodded, relief that she was all right spreading through him like a wildfire. Sakura's eyes filled with tears again, and this time, it was Sasuke who took her into his arms, holding her protectively close while letting her cry.

"I-I killed them." She said after she calmed down slightly. "I'm the reason my family is dead."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

At this, Sakura started to cry again. She tried to tell him about the dream she'd just had, but Sasuke stopped her. He automatically knew that Orochimaru had somehow brainwashed her into believing that she was responsible for the killing of her parents. He wouldn't settle for that.

"Shh…" He said softly. He gently stroked her hair as she cried. "Sakura, its okay now. That snake bastard is dead. I watched you kill him. You don't have to be afraid anymore." _I'm here to protect you now._ He mentally added.

Sakura sniffed several times before she collapsed against exhaustedly onto Sasuke's chest. He smirked as he carefully picked her up and laid her back into bed. He tucked her back in and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before he left to go get Tsunade to report what he had just learned.

…

Three days passed.

Sasuke had been sent away on a mission, but was scheduled to return soon.

Sakura was showing signs of improvement physically, but her mood didn't change. Her eyes were dead and her words were cold whenever she was spoken to. She barely acknowledged her sensei's presence as Tsunade entered her room to check up on her. Tsunade stopped dead in the doorway, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Sakura. She was sitting up finally, and staring out the window; a blank look on her face. A striking image ran through Tsunade's mind at that moment, a flashback from the past flashing before her eyes. In Sakura's place, sat a young shinobi with raven colored hair and dark icy eyes. In the memory, the youngest Uchiha turned his head to stare at her blankly.

Sakura had done the same. Her eyes were blank; her expression hardly betraying what was going on in her mind and heart.

Tsunade had been periodically checking up on Sakura in the time of Sasuke's absence. He'd stayed by her side every day since she woke. Though Tsunade couldn't begin to fathom why the boy never said anything at all to her apprentice.   
Sakura had become as cold as ever. She didn't look at Tsunade when blood was cleaned from her healing wounds, nor did she even flinch when stitches were removed.

The day Sasuke returned from his mission, he went straight to the hospital. Tsunade stopped him at the end of the hall, having heard him ask the front desk if Sakura had been checked out yet.

"I don't know what to do with her Uchiha. Her body is healing, but she needs to rest still. I can't get her to talk, and she only eats a few bites of anything that we have tried to feed her."

Sasuke just stared off in the direction of Sakura's door. "Her parent's funerals are tomorrow. I am not sure if it's such a good idea to have her attend, as she was a complete mess at the first one." Sasuke lifted an eyebrow at her. "There was one held before? While her parents were still alive?" He asked, crossing his arms. The feeling inside his stomach churning. He did not like what he was hearing.

"Her parents had been missing for months, Uchiha. I didn't know what to do after it had been four months past the time that they were supposed to return." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "So you led her to believe that her parents were dead?"

"I had no _choice!"_ Tsunade yelled. She drew a deep breath before continuing in a softer voice. "I received a note from my former teammate saying that he'd killed them. This was before your return. I guess that's why Sakura attacked you the night she left…" Her voice trailed off.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment as anger washed through him. _So that's why she thought that I had killed them…_

He started to walk away. "What are you going to do?" Tsunade asked. Sasuke turned around. "Don't ask me that right now." He said before opening Sakura's door and disappearing inside.

Sakura lay on her back, her hands resting on her stomach and staring stolidly at the ceiling. She heard the door open and she closed her eyes. Sasuke entered the room slowly, taking in the surroundings. She was alone. "I see that dinner has been served." He said, his eyes coming to rest on the tray of food next to her bed. He saw Sakura flinch slightly at his voice before her eyes opened to stare at him.

"You're back…" She whispered incredulously.

He smirked. "Was I not supposed to be?" Sakura turned her eyes back to the ceiling. "I dunno." She whispered.

_Wow, four whole words out of her so far. In three days? Pfft, that's a record._ He thought to himself as he took his seat again next to the bed. "C'mon, you should eat something." He said, pulling the tray out and skillfully grabbing some rice with the chopsticks. Sakura didn't move. "Not hungry." She muttered. She cursed as her stomach chose that moment to growl.

"Whatever." Sasuke said, holding the rice near her mouth. "Eat."

Sakura rolled her eyes and rolled over. "Not hungry." She repeated.

"Don't be annoying Sakura. Just eat." Sasuke said, knowing that his words would pinch a nerve.

But she managed to keep her reaction hidden. "I said I'm not hungry." She said a little louder. Sasuke sighed. _Guess I'll have to try something else…_ He thought. "Well, I guess I don't blame you. This hospital food is bad anyway. The only way I didn't starve when I was here all the time was because you always used to cut up apples for me." He said softly.

Sakura flinched. He smiled. _Gotcha._ He thought.

"You never ate them." She whispered.

"Not when you were in the room." He countered quietly.

"It's not like I poisoned it or anything."

"No. Naruto would never have let me live it down if he saw that I was letting you take care of me."

Sakura sighed. "Now who's annoying?" She whispered.

Sasuke's eyes widened. _Wasn't expecting that._ "But I guess in a way he knew. Good old Naruto. Always has to make everyone believe that there's always some hope out there." Sasuke said quietly. Sakura slowly but surely rolled back over to stare at him. "You actually have _hope_?" she asked incredulously. Sasuke used that moment when her mouth was open to stuff the rice into it. Her eyes widened at first but then narrowed as she closed her mouth to keep from making a mess. She swallowed angrily after chewing and growled, "Cheater." She rolled back over, hiding the tears that had sprung to her eyes.

"I didn't cheat. I just got you to open your mouth." He said quietly.

"…"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, watching her closely. _Her breathing is steady, so that must mean her internal wounds are healed._ He thought to himself. He saw that a few bandages still covered the once severe wounds. But other than that, she looked much better. Her coloring had returned to normal since Tsunade had given her a few pills to increase the blood cell count since Sakura had lost a lot of blood before she'd been brought in.

He watched as Sakura slowly started to fall asleep. _Well at least she's resting more now. _He thought.

Tsunade chose that moment to call him out into the hall.

…

Morning came. But Sakura still hadn't woken up yet.

"Sasuke-kun, can I eat tomatoes too?" Sakura mumbled in her sleep. Sasuke's onyx eyes opened from his meditative state and he looked at Sakura's sleeping face. "Sakura?" He whispered.

"Mmhmm…" she muttered. "Five more minutes Okaasan..."

Sasuke smiled. _She's going to be awake soon… _He thought. He got up and went downstairs. Last night after Sakura had fallen asleep, Tsunade had had her moved to his house.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Uchiha, you're just about the only one in this whole village capable of teaching Sakura how to live again." Tsunade said, crossing her arms and closing her eyes, a frown on her face. _

_Sasuke didn't respond, but stood stoically across the room. "She's refused to say a word all this time. I don't know what the hell happened to her in Orochimaru's place, but it's almost like she's become—"_

"_A ghost of who she once used to be?" Sasuke finally spoke. '**I** got her to talk.' He thought smugly to himself. _

_Tsunade opened her eyes and her frown deepened. "Yes."_

"_Hn."_

_His response drew an angry reaction from Tsunade. "Is that all that you have to say!" She snarled. _

"_No." Sasuke replied. "I'm waiting." _

_Tsunade's eyes widened for a split second before she narrowed them dangerously. "You little bastard…" She muttered. "You knew all along why I called you out here to talk?" _

_The Uchiha Prodigy smirked. "What else would your reason be for taking me from her side?" Tsunade shook her head in mild disbelief. "I want Sakura to stay with you. The last place I want her is alone in her dead parent's house." _

"_Done." _

"_Take care of her Uchiha. You're the only one in Konoha who can help her now…" Tsunade reiterated. _

_Sasuke turned around, flicking his wrist and sending a kunai in Tsunade's direction. She caught it between two fingers without even looking. _

"_You really didn't need to ask." He said, returning once more to Sakura's room. _

_END FLASHBACK_

Sakura's eyes opened. She was no longer in the hospital. The room she lay in now confirmed that. _Where the hell am I?_ She thought, preparing herself for the worst. She heard footsteps outside the door and she dove back into the covers, yelping in pain at her still healing ribs.

"You shouldn't be trying to move around all that much just yet." A smooth voice said beside her. Sakura felt the blanket gently being pulled from her head. Onyx eyes met emerald green. "Ohayo." He said simply. Sakura didn't reply. She just stared up at him, a blank expression on her face. Sasuke recognized that look. It mirrored the one that he'd worn for years after his parent's deaths. It may have meant to be blank, but Sasuke could see the pain, fear, and most of all, the deep sadness behind her eyes.

"Can I go home now?" Sakura whispered, breaking him from his thoughts. When he didn't reply immediately, she braced herself on her arms and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She winced with the dulling pain, but she ignored it. She was about to swing her legs over the side of the bed to get up but she felt a hand grasping her shoulder.

"You're not completely recovered to do that." He said, pulling her back.

Anger boiled inside of her.

"I will NOT dishonor my parents' memory by missing their funeral!" She snapped, flicking his hand away from her shoulder.

"You can't go alone." He said after a moment of silence.

"Watch me."

"No."

Sakura's eyes turned to face him. _That was fast._ She thought. Sasuke now stood completely in front of her, blocking her from getting up.

"I will be fine Sasuke…kun." She whispered. With that, she placed her hands on the edge of the bed and slid down, feet gracefully landing on the floor, directly in front of him. She wobbled for a second, her legs not used to supporting all of her weight after spending nearly a week lying in bed.

_She looks so fragile, like she could break at any second…_He thought.

Sakura tore her eyes away from his face. It was time to be strong. Sasuke or no Sasuke, she had a funeral to attend.

She walked around him, heading towards the door. "I'm going home to get cleaned up. I'm not going looking like this." She said softly. Sasuke beat her to the door. "It's ok." He said quietly, his head bowed. He pointed to the chair beside her bed. Sakura's eyes followed the direction in which he was pointing and her gaze fell upon a white kimono lying over the back of the chair. Her eyes widened and she looked back at her teammate. Sasuke hadn't lifted his head. "It was my mother's. You can have it to wear to your parent's funeral." He said softly.   
Sakura was speechless. Her heart was screaming for her to grab him in a hug. She'd _never_ heard him talk about his parents before and now all of a sudden he was going to let her use something that probably was precious to his mother? "Its ok, Sasuke-kun. I can always run home and grab something from my house." She whispered.

He shook his head.

"I'll meet you in the hallway in 30 minutes." He said before exiting the room. Sakura stared at the door dumbfounded. After a moment she shook herself out of her daze. She went to the bathroom, freshening up, washing her hair and toweling it dry. She ran her fingers through her rosette locks and stared at her face. The bruise on her cheek was gradually disappearing, but it still made her look funny. She rolled her eyes as she decided to ignore it. Emerging from the bathroom she turned her gaze to Uchiha Mikoto's kimono lying over the chair. A shiver went up her spine as she shakily reached out for it. The material was silky and soft. Sakura pulled it on gently and carefully tied the pink obi around her waist.

It fit her perfectly.

She went back to the bathroom to stare at her appearance in the mirror. _Wow, not too shabby._ She thought. She exited the room, turning off the light and closing the door behind her.

Sasuke had changed and was waiting for her as she came out. She was having some trouble walking, which didn't come as a surprise. But what did surprise him was how well she looked like she was hiding it.

Next came the stairs. Sakura drew a deep breath and gripped the railing. She took the first step and almost fell—but found herself in a pair of strong arms.

"I'm fine." She whispered, embarrassed and angry at herself for not being able to walk down a simple flight of stairs.

"No, you're not." Came his reply.

Sakura didn't argue. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. She wouldn't cry; and almost certainly not in front of him. She'd made that mistake in the hospital and she wouldn't repeat it.

_He doesn't care. Tsunade is the one I have to "thank" for placing me here._ She thought bitterly as Sasuke carried her out the door.

_**But what about that time in Orochi—**_

_Don't even _try_ to finish that sentence._ Sakura silenced her Inner self.

Sasuke allowed Sakura to walk a little more on her own once they were outside. She didn't try to cling to him and refused to hold onto his arm for support.

_She's sure changed since I left._ He thought.

The two pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Haruno were placed next to each other. Friends and family, (Sakura) walked up to the memorial, placing white roses before the pictures. This was the second memorial that had been held for the two Konoha Nin.

Kakashi set a rose by each photograph, his one visible eye closing solemnly. Naruto followed suit. He searched the crowd for Sakura, and saw her standing off to the side, mostly away from everyone who had gathered. Sasuke was close by. Naruto turned his sad cerulean gaze up to the sky. The clouds were rolling in, the sky growing darker as rain approached.

Sasuke turned to look at Sakura. Her face was in a frown and her eyes looked ahead, staring at nothing.

Ice cold.

_She looks just like I did when I went to my parent's memorial…_He thought. Sasuke turned his attention back to Tsunade; watching as she too, placed two white roses in front of the Haruno's pictures. She turned around to face the small crowd of ninja and civilians.

"The loss of the Harunos was a huge blow to Konoha." She started. "But we must continue on, becoming stronger so that we may defend our village against those who wish to see it defeated. The Harunos gave their lives in order to protect Konoha. Their names will go on the memorial as heroes of this village."

"THAT'S A LIE!" Sakura suddenly screamed.   
All eyes turned to stare dubiously at her.

"MY PARENTS DIDN'T DIE NOBLELY! THEY WERE BRUTALLY MURDERED! ALL BECAUSE I WAS TOO WEAK TO SAVE THEM!"

Sakura's tears were streaming down her flushed cheeks. People around her started to murmur anxiously. Tsunade met her apprentice's ravaged gaze. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Sakura disappear.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw Sakura interrupt the Hokage's eulogy. His onyx gaze found Tsunade's and she nodded. He took off after Sakura, hoping that he would find her.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto hollered. He made to go after her, but Kakashi stopped him. "Let her go Naruto. She needs to learn how to deal with this. Don't worry. Sasuke's going after her, see?" He pointed to the departing Uchiha. His grip on the blonde ninja loosened as he felt Naruto calm down. _All my students are orphans now…_He thought sadly as he looked down at Naruto's face. Naruto looked over at the Hokage. She had closed her eyes, tears silently starting to stream from her closed eyes. He slid from Kakashi's restraint and went to her side. "Ne, Tsunade no baa-chan. It's going to be ok. Sasuke-teme will help her." He said, confident that his best friend would follow through. Tsunade opened her eyes and stared eye to eye with her hopeful future successor. He grinned his usual cheesy grin. It put a smile on her face as well. She grabbed Naruto into a hug, ignoring the blonde's sudden protests. Tsunade was left to patch up crowd control and mend the startled emotions washing through everyone.

…

She ran.

Not as fast as she would have been capable of if she weren't still recovering from the beating she got from Kabuto. But it was fast enough to get her the distance she needed from the memorial and her sensei. Her body screamed in protest, but she didn't stop. She kept running until she reached the bridge where her old Genin team used to meet everyday for training.

She collapsed on the bridge, her legs finally giving out on her. She didn't move even as she felt rain start to fall. Soon, the soft drizzle had turned into a downpour.

Sakura turned her broken green gaze to the sky.

"Oh sky, even you're crying too? It's my fault all this happened!" She cried.

She felt someone approaching. She sat up; pulling a kunai from her holster she'd hidden underneath the kimono. She relaxed as she realized that it was one of her teammates racing towards her. She leaned into the railing on the bridge, dangling her feet over the edge. What shocked her more, however, was the fact that it wasn't Naruto who had come after her.

It was Sasuke.

He came up behind her and kneeled down beside her. "What do you want Uchiha?" She whispered, not looking at him.

He didn't answer. Instead, he pulled her by her shoulders towards him, turning her around. Sakura looked up into his eyes and was shocked to see them filled with worry.

The Uchiha Prodigy pulled her close to him in a hug. Sakura froze for a second. "You're going to get sick if you stay out here in the rain." He said quietly in her ear. Sakura pulled away from him to look him in the eyes.

"Why do you care?" She whispered, watching for his reaction. Surprisingly, she found one. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he lifted her chin with two fingers. "Because I know what you're going through." He said softly. Sakura's eyes widened as his words hit on the hard truth.

_Am I going to have to shut everyone out?_ She thought to herself.

"And I know that being alone right now is the last thing that you really want." He continued.

_I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry— _Sakura finally broke. Sasuke pulled her close again. This time, Sakura didn't resist. She buried her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

The more she cried, the tighter he held her. Soon, his half-hug turned into a full embrace. His arms held Sakura to his chest as she let go of everything.

When she finally calmed, she was breathing somewhat normally. Sasuke could feel her heartbeat through her kimono on his chest. He smiled to himself.

_I've got you, Sakura._

Sakura closed her eyes. Her heart didn't hurt as much, but the pain was still there. She felt herself being scooped up. She looked over at Sasuke. He smirked. "Let's go home." He whispered. She nodded, resting her head on his chest.

Once they were back at his house, he carried her up to her room. He stood in her doorway as he gently let her down, but didn't let go. He still had her in a hug as he leaned close to her ear.   
"Step one," He whispered. "Is learning to feel again,"

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked up at Sasuke.

"Complete." He said as he smiled down at her. With that, he let her go and gestured to the dresser in the room. "There are some of my old clothes in there that might fit you. Go ahead and get out of those wet clothes so you don't freeze."

Sakura nodded slightly as he closed the door.

"Wow." She whispered. She walked over to the dresser and opened it. Neatly folded inside were several black long-sleeved shirts with the Uchiha crest on the back. She smiled as she gently took off the kimono, hanging it up in the closet so it could dry. She pulled one of the shirts over her head and smiled when she saw that it fit her perfectly. She found shorts in the next drawer, and pulled a pair on too. She tied her hair back and opened the door. Making her way slowly down the hallway, she saw that all of the doors were closed, except for one at the end of the hallway. "Sasuke-kun?" She called through the cracked door.

It opened and she looked in. Sasuke stood in the doorway, partially changed, but shirtless.

Inner Sakura squealed with ecstasy.

He smirked when he saw her dressed in his old clothing. _She actually looks good as an Uchiha…_He thought. Sakura smiled slightly as she came closer and pulled him into a hug. He reacted instantly, wrapping his arms around her. Sakura closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. "Thank you." She whispered.


	10. Step 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, I don't own Naruto, I don't own Naruto. (There, I won't get sued now, will I? xD)

THANK YOU REVIEWERS! (jumps up and down squealing with happiness)   
I GOT MY 100th REVIEW!

THANK YOU **SabakuNoBrandye**! You were the one to post the 100th review!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU readers/reviewers for sticking with me! Without you guys, I seriously wouldn't have ANY motivation to keep updating! I mean, I would want to finish my story, yes, but you all make it SO much more fun and enjoyable! YOU ROCK!

Ok, I'll stop gushing. xD Here's chapter nine!

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**Stained Cherry Blossoms**

**Step Two**

Sasuke looked down at Sakura. Her face was buried in his bare chest, and he could feel her small arms around him. He responded instantly, pulling her close to him and resting his chin on top of her head.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun." She whispered.

He smirked. Here she was, dressed in _his _clothing, hugging him while he was half dressed, and he was hugging her _back_!

**_I'm so proud that you've finally grown up…_** Inner Sasuke said smugly.

_Just shut up, you're ruining my moment._ He thought angrily.

_**Hehehe. You've got all night…**_

_Fuck…just go away already!_

Sakura pulled away from him. She wiped her eyes quickly before saying, "Sorry, I know you don't like people getting close to you…" He pulled her back by her hand. He could feel her shocked expression as he held her. "It's ok." He said hugging her tighter. "You've had a lot happen to you recently. It's ok to cry if you want."

Sakura closed her eyes against her tears. _Oh. That's all? _She thought, her heart falling more.

"You should probably get some sleep." He said after a moment.

Sakura pulled away, her eyes glued to the floor. "Yeah. Oyasumi." She whispered. She turned and walked back down the hall, her eyes never leaving the floor.

Sasuke turned to go back in his room. **_Nice work BAKA! What are you stupid or something?_** His inner self was yelling.

_Shut up. _

_**You know, for being a genius, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet…**_

_I don't need you to tell me something I already know…_

_**Hn. Whatever! If you already know dumbass, then why not act on it?**_

_I don't want to rush it. _

**_Pfft, you really _are_ and idiot._**

Sasuke rolled his eyes, closing his door more fervently than he need have. He flipped his light off, collapsing on his bed. He lay there for a while, and then turned his gaze over to the left side of his bed, imagining a pink-haired someone there lying next to him…

Sakura sat down on her bed upon turning the light off. Her heart was extremely heavy, and her eyes were filled with unshed tears. Throwing herself backwards so that she lay completely horizontal on the bed, she grabbed a pillow and covered her face as she screamed into it. The events from her dream still replayed in her mind, mentally driving her insane. She felt so empty now.

_I've gotten my revenge, but what do I do now? _ She thought hopelessly. _I don't know what to do! There's no one left important to me to fight for!_

**_Pfft, you really are a dumbass._** Inner Sakura admonished, smirking.

_Go away. You're the last thing I need to worry about right now._

_**I disagree forehead freak. I happen to know of someone…**_

_If you're talking about Sasuke-kun then I—_

_**You're gonna hear it so shut up. He's the only one left in this village that can still affect you. Why the hell do you think Tsunade-shishou had you moved here?**_

_I, I don't know…_

_**Exactly. So stop pretending to be stupid and start listening to me. Sasuke loves you. You love him—**_

_USED to love him. All he ever did was push me away. Why the fuck am I even having this conversation? I'm going schizo just talking to myself!_

_**Oh stop stressing. You'll strain that big-ass brain of yours. Just use your heart. That's big enough for a reason.**_

…

Sakura fell asleep, stretched out and lying across her bed. She didn't bother with getting under the covers.

Sometime later on that night, Sasuke woke.

Screaming could be heard coming from the hallway.

He bolted out of bed and threw his door open, kunai in hand. The screaming was coming from Sakura's room! He dashed down the hallway, rubbing sleep from his eyes as quickly as he could. He nearly kicked her door down and his eyes quickly searched the room for any sign of her. His heart relaxed and his breathing calmed immediately as he saw her curled up in a ball in the center of her bed. She'd stopped screaming, but she was crying hard.

Sasuke dropped the kunai and it clattered to the floor. He approached the bed, reaching out and pulling her pillow away as she'd had it pulled over her in a defensive position, as if using it to guard herself against whatever it was in her dream.

Her hands flailed as their shield disappeared. He grasped them and pulled her up into a sitting position, being careful to not aggravate her healing wounds. He gently took her by her shoulders, and gave her a slight but firm shake. "Sakura!"

Her eyes opened and she blinked several times before she was able to clear the fogginess of the dream away. Her green orbs focused fully on him and her eyes widened. "Sas-Sasuke-kun? Wh-what're you doing here?" She asked, her voice cracking from crying.

He didn't reply immediately, but Sakura's eyes searched his face and they widened again before dropping to her lap.

"I woke you up, didn't I?" She asked in a low voice. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Sasuke honestly didn't know what to say. Here he was, sitting on her bed at three in the morning, (his quick glance at the clock had told him the time) his kunai lying forgotten on the floor, and Sakura staring at him numbly.

Sakura chose this moment to get up. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. You can go back to sleep." She whispered, her voice sounding ashamed. She headed for the washroom. Closing the door behind her, Sakura turned on the tap, splashing hot water on her face. She furiously rubbed her face with the scalding water, hardly wincing at all as she washed away her tears. _I can't believe I woke him up. I'm such a dumbass. _She thought angrily.

She emerged from the bathroom to find that he wasn't there. Sighing deeply, she took four steps towards the bed and froze as she felt a pair of arms embrace her from behind. She shivered as she felt his breath tickle her right ear. He buried his face in her hair as he pulled her closer.

"It's ok." He whispered softly. Sakura didn't know what to do. She slowly let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Y-you can let me go now, Sasuke-kun. I'm fine." She said softly. He turned her around. Sakura looked up into his eyes, forcing a smile.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" He asked, his voice _almost_ sounding concerned. Sakura's forced smile dropped off of her face as she merely nodded. _He should go back to sleep. He's probably got a mission tomorrow. It wouldn't surprise me…_

Sakura gently but firmly pushed him a step towards the door. "I'm fine!" she emphasized, stepping back from him, gesturing to herself. "Please, go back to sleep." She said in a much softer tone, almost mimicking how Hinata used to talk.

He stared at her, eyes narrowed slightly on her in a scrutinizing frown before he turned and exited her room. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She felt extremely stupid for not having enough control over her thoughts that had germinated into the nightmare.

Sakura plopped down on the bed once more. She cuddled close to her pillow and fell asleep almost instantly.

No more nightmares haunted her the rest of that night.

Sasuke woke pretty early the next morning; well, later that morning rather. His gaze found the clock near his bed and his eyes narrowed as it read 7:30am. "Kuso!" He muttered, getting up and quickly heading to the bathroom to freshen up before getting dressed. After brushing his teeth he pulled on his ANBU uniform, grabbing his mask before racing down the hallway. He skidded to a halt at Sakura's door. He silently pulled it open, his gaze finding her small form curled up on the bed…

Sound asleep.

He smiled. _She needed it._ He thought to himself. He entered her room silently, coming to stand beside her bed. He gently brushed several strands of pink away from her closed eyes. Leaning forward, he spoke softly by her ear. "I'll be back soon, I promise." He whispered. With that, he lightly placed a kiss on her forehead before leaving just as quietly as he'd come.

Sakura woke to a gloomy day. Her eyes searched for the clock she'd seen sitting on the dresser across the room. It read 1:45pm. "Holy shit." She muttered. She rolled over, looking at the ceiling. Her eyes widened just slightly as she remembered what had happened earlier on that morning.

_Why did he come? He only allows me to stay here because Tsunade-sama asked for me to._ She thought bitterly.

**_You can be so dense sometimes, it's funny._** Inner Sakura said, snorting.

Sakura rolled her eyes and swung both legs over the edge of the bed. She went to the door and froze. "Someone was here earlier…" She said, her hand lingering on the door.

**_Well gee; I wonder who the hell it could have been?_** Inner Sakura said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sakura went downstairs in search of some water. She found a note on the table. _Heh, I knew it._ She thought to herself.

Picking it up, she read:

_Sakura, I've got a mission for the next two days. I should hopefully be back early. Take care of yourself._

_Sasuke_

Sakura rolled her eyes. She pulled the refrigerator door open and pulled out a bottle of water. A sudden thought ran through her head. "I can at least try to train a little today…" she said quietly. She ate a quick breakfast/lunch, before heading to the door to grab her shoes. As soon as she'd checked to make sure everything was neat and orderly, Sakura headed out the door. She walked down the street, scuffing her feet as she trudged to her house.

…

The door opened with a creak. Her green eyes scanned the living room. _It looks exactly as it did before I left…_Sakura froze as her eyes came to rest upon a dark figure at the top of the stairs. She heard muffled voices upstairs and her eyes narrowed as she silently slipped into the house, doing her best to shut the door noiselessly behind her.

Slipping her shoes off, she crept to the stairs, wincing slightly from her still-healing injuries. She grabbed a kunai from her holster (she'd always had it stored near the door for quick access on her way out) and ascended the steps, making sure she avoided the third step, as it would creak loudly when stepped upon.

"Heh, so this is the one who is preventing him from coming after you…" a rough voice spoke. Sakura froze at the top of the stairs. Her heart pounded so hard against her chest she feared that it could be heard out loud.

"It would appear so." Sakura's eyes widened as she saw a flash of red and black in front of her. A sharp sting was felt on her throat as a kunai was pressed into her skin. "Do not scream, do not struggle, and do not cry out for help. I will silence you before you can even draw your next breath of air." Sakura involuntarily took a step back—

And froze as she backed into a hard chest.

"Kisame." Sakura heard the same voice say. Before she knew what happened, something hard hit her in the base of her skull, knocking her out instantly.

…

Sakura woke to find herself in a dimly lit room. Voices could be heard nearby, and she opened her heavy-lidded eyes to survey her surroundings. Her hands were bound behind her back, her head was pounding and she was shivering from the cold. She was in a cell of some kind, with absolutely no idea where she was.

"What the hell are you thinking!" A familiar voice nearly shrieked. "Let me see her, now!" Sakura's eyes widened as she recognized the voice of her best friend. The door to the room burst open, revealing Yamanaka Ino, dressed in a long black robe with red clouds on it.

"Sakura?" She asked softly. Sakura lifted her head from the floor to stare incredulously at her best friend. "Ino?" She whispered. "What are you doing here? Why are you dressed like that?" Sakura asked, forcing herself up into a sitting position. She looked her best friend in the eyes, lost for words.

Ino dropped to her knees. It had been weeks since she'd seen her best friend. Not since their last confrontation in Konoha. "SAKURA!" Ino yelped, yanking her best friend into a tight hug. Sakura cried out in pain as her still-healing injuries were aggravated. Ino pulled away, tears in her blue eyes.

_FLASHBACK_

_Itachi carried Sakura into the Akatsuki stronghold. He handed her off to Kisame who not-so-gently tossed her into a cell in the interrogation chamber. Itachi went back to the room where Ino had been sleeping. She was awake and reading a scroll that she'd kept carefully hidden. As soon as she heard the door open, she hastily shoved it into her pack, burying it at the bottom so it would remain hidden. _

"_Keep an eye on her Kisame." Itachi's voice could be heard in the hallway as he paused in the doorway. Ino's eyes widened. 'Who is he talking about?' she wondered. She watched as Itachi entered the room. He closed the door behind him, unfastening the button on his cloak, and letting it fall to the floor. Ino stood up and walked over to him. With a small smile she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. She felt his arms go around her waist and she smiled as she closed her eyes. _

"_Itachi, I—" Ino was interrupted as Kisame knocked hard on the door. Itachi released her and walked to the door, yanking it open with a fierce glare on his face. _

"_She's bleeding." Was all he said. _

"_Who?" Ino asked, curiosity getting the better of her. After all, Ino herself was the only one she knew of that was there. _

"_Pink haired kunoichi. Bait for the little Uchiha bastard." _

_Ino's eyes grew wide. She shot a glare at Itachi, her boisterous personality driving away any fear towards him as she brusquely walked by him, shouting, "What the hell are you thinking!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

Sakura had tried to get one of her hands free, but the bindings were much too tight, and her skin was rubbed raw. She gave in and looked up at her best friend as Ino let her go.

"Ino, what the fucking hell are you doing here? You've been missing in Konoha for weeks now." Ino's chin dropped as she drew in a deep breath. "Sakura, I—"

"I think that you are in no position to be asking the questions, young kunoichi."

Both girls jerked their heads up and looked in the doorway only to find Uchiha Itachi leaning in the doorway. His arms were partially crossed over his muscular chest, twirling a kunai menacingly in his hand, and a frown on his face. His gaze went from Ino to Sakura, then back to Ino.

"Wait for me in the other room." He said, gesturing for her to depart. Ino bit her lip, her blue gaze traveling back to her best friend. Sakura gave her a betrayed look as Ino hugged her quickly and stood up, exiting quickly. The moment Ino was gone Itachi closed the door behind him. Sakura's eyes were wide as she scooted back a little bit on the cold stone floor. Itachi smirked as he took a step towards her.

"It's been a while Haruno Sakura."

Sakura looked fearfully up at him as she backed herself into the wall behind her. No where to go. "Wh-what do you want?" She asked, biting her lip to keep her trembling in check. "…"

"Why is Ino-chan here?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Sakura drew a deep breath, gathering her courage for her next comment. "You would too if you were me."

"I wouldn't be in your predicament." He countered, stepping closer, kunai clearly visible. Sakura shut her eyes as he kneeled down beside her, his hands going behind her back. The kunai easily sliced through the tight bindings, freeing her hands. Sakura let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She tenderly rubbed her sore and raw wrists as Itachi stood again, fixing her with a scrutinizing look. "You seem to have gotten closer to my foolish little brother, kunoichi."

Sakura's breath froze in her throat. Her heart skipped a few beats as Itachi smirked. With wide, frightened eyes, she looked up at him, awaiting his response to her reaction.

"As I thought." He murmured. "Tell me, young kunoichi—"

"Sakura." She said, interrupting him. "My name is Sakura." His smirk grew wider. "Tell me, Sakura. Do you value your life?" Her already scared look changed a little as she frowned slightly.

"Yes." She replied, wondering what the hell he was going to do. Surely he wouldn't kill her now, especially since her best friend was in the other room. Ino would hear her scream. But then, why the hell was her best friend even there in the first place? Itachi wouldn't kill her if he didn't plan on killing Ino…but-

"Why is my best friend here?" Sakura blurted out, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Answer my questions first Sakura." Itachi said in a stern tone. "What is your relationship with my foolish little brother?" Sakura swallowed hard. _What AM I to Sasuke? He's been so nice to me lately, but, he wouldn't want me to tell Itachi anything, regardless. _ She thought; weighing her chances on living depending on what she told him.

"We're just friends." She replied calmly.

Itachi smirked. "Really…? Do not lie to me Sakura." She shivered involuntarily.

"We're good friends." She responded truthfully.

"Is that so?" Itachi asked, his eyes narrowing. "Good friends and nothing more?"

Sakura frowned, her eyes dropped from Itachi's face as she felt tears start to swell in her eyes. She did not dare wipe them away. Itachi smirked wider. _Hn, I knew you couldn't hide from me._ He thought to himself.

"If you wish to live longer, you will tell my foolish little brother that I grow tired of waiting." Sakura's eyes jerked back up to his face, a glare on her features. "I'll never tell him that! You can go to hell you bastard! Leave Sasuke-kun alone! Haven't you done enough damage already!" She screamed.

Itachi was on her in a split second. His kunai held against the tender skin of her throat and his other hand fisting a handful of her hair as he jerked her head up to look him in the eyes. "You will do it; otherwise I will find you again and kill you."

Sakura shivered in his grasp. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw his eyes change from angry onyx to furious red Sharingan. "Remember what I said, Sakura. I know how to find you again." His eyes changed to Mangekyou. Sakura felt her eyelids drooping and she slumped sideways against the wall, the kunai slightly grazing her skin as she fell over.

Itachi smirked. Seeing that he'd accomplished his goal, he stood up, releasing his hold on the pink haired kunoichi. He slipped the kunai back into his holster and exited the room. "Take her back to Konoha Kisame." He said, closing the door behind him.

…

Sakura woke when a drop of rain smacked her in the face. She opened her eyes to find herself lying in the grass of one of the training fields.

She was back home again.

Sakura sat up quickly, looking around her for any sign of Itachi. She had no doubt that he would make good on his word, and it scared her to know that he knew how to find her again. She tossed the idea of leaving Konoha again around in her head. Tsunade would grill her ass if she left the village again, and Sasuke would more than likely be sent after her again. He would want to know why she'd left, and if Sakura tried to get him to come along, he would still ask questions she refused to answer. Also, Itachi probably would have a harder time finding her again, but she knew without a doubt that the elder Uchiha was much too clever to just let her go.

Sakura glared angrily at the ground. Hot tears sprang to her eyes as she mentally came to grips with what she was going to do. "I won't let anyone else I care about get hurt." She decided, muttering to herself. She stood up, heading for her house again. Upon getting her weapons, she left and went back to the training ground where Team 7 used to train on a day to day basis.

"I WILL get stronger Sasuke-kun. I won't let that fucking bastard of a brother hurt you anymore!" Doing a few handseals, she created several bunshins and started training. It was hard, as her wounds were still healing, but she forced her body to comply. She would not be weak anymore. She also had to find out why the hell Ino was being held in the Akatsuki stronghold. Worry and fear for her best friend's safety added to her reasoning for getting stronger. "I will protect everyone who is important to me." She growled, defeating one of the clones she'd made to look like Naruto.

Sakura continued training. She felt the wound on her side open again and she screamed as she fell to the ground. Blood seeped through her shirt staining the grass red. She lay there for a while, breathing hard. The two remaining clones disappeared with a _poof_.

…

He entered the house, dropping his katana against the wall and slipping his sandals off. He'd managed to get home before the rain started, but he listened for a few seconds as the rain started to come down hard. He walked up the stairs, hoping to find the one he'd grudgingly had to leave behind the day before. Arriving home a day early, he hoped to find her somewhere in his house. As he slid her door open, he found her room to be neat as a pin, but no sign of her.

Sasuke frowned. "Sakura?" He called.

No response.

He went back downstairs again, searching the entire house. His worry grew as he found no sign of her. Sasuke went back to the entry hall and slid his shoes back on. Grabbing a light jacket, he raced out and down the street, heading for her house. His speed got him to her front door within a short time and he entered her house warily. The bad feeling in his stomach growing with his worry.

"Sakura? Are you here?" He called, looking around the downstairs. The living room and kitchen were empty, and he headed up the stairs to where her room was. Once again, he found no sign of her. "Kuso…Sakura, where the hell have you gone?" He murmured. He saw that her weapons were gone and revelation struck. He dashed out of her house and back out into the pouring rain again. This time, heading for the training grounds.

Sakura felt someone approaching. Her heart beat faster as she realized she had no strength left. Was Itachi coming back for her again? Surely he knew that the several hours that she'd been gone from the place wasn't enough time to tell Sasuke his stupid message. The guy was still on a mission for crying out loud! Sakura's defensive stance relaxed, however, when she heard, "SAKURA!" It was Sasuke. Relief washed through her like warm water. He yanked his jacket off and started to put it around her, but then he noticed the blood. "Sakura! You're injured! What the hell have you been doing?"

Sakura dropped her gaze from his face. She couldn't tell him what had happened. "N-nothing. I guess I wasn't paying attention…" Her voice trailed off. She dreaded his response, but thankfully, she didn't have to wait long, as her strength finally gave out on her. Her knees buckled underneath her and she started to fall…

But was stopped as a pair of strong arms caught her before she hit the ground. Her last conscious thought was, _what am I going to do? I love him, but I can't let him get hurt anymore! _

Darkness took over.

Sasuke felt her go limp in his arms and he cursed as he quickly wrapped her up with the jacket. Her skin was cold to the touch and she shivered even as she was unconscious. He raced her back to his house.

Upon literally tearing her shirt from her worn-out body, he found the source of all the blood. The deep wound on her side had re-opened, the stitches tearing at the strain she had put them under. Sasuke sighed deeply. It wasn't fatal, but he knew it hurt. He gently changed the bandages on the wound, then stripped her of all of her wet clothing, save for those that kept her decent. Her upper half, he noticed, was wrapped tightly with bandages.

_Those have to come off._ He thought to himself, pulling a kunai out of his holster. _Her skin is bruised around the edges from these things. What the hell was she thinking?_

Sasuke ripped the bandages off, only to find bruised, bare skin. He blushed deeply as he turned his head, finding another one of his smaller shirts and tugging it over her head.

Sakura's shivering continued and worry etched its way onto Sasuke's face. He immediately took her into his arms, being careful not to disturb her freshly dressed wound. He put her under the covers of his bed, and climbed in next to her. He'd already removed his shirt too, as it was soaking wet. His pants were changed for a pair of shorts as he pulled her shivering body close to his.

Sakura woke up then. Her green eyes widened as she found herself in her current predicament. "Sa-Sasuke-kun?" she stuttered. "Wh-what ha-happened?" He only pulled her closer. "Your body is close to hypothermia. One of the main skills of survival, Sakura: exchange of body heat. I need to get you warm so you don't freeze." His arms went around her, pulling her close to his muscular chest. Sakura's heart fluttered and through the pain and cold, she felt herself smile inwardly.

She allowed her head to fall on top of his chest as she snuggled closer to him.

_Maybe this isn't such a bad thing after all…_ She thought to herself.

**_Pfft, DUH! What are you completely stupid or something? You're in the same BED as Sasuke-kun for crying out loud!_** Inner Sakura ranted.

_I'm trying not to think about that you know._

_**What the fuck is wrong with you? Haven't you WANTED this? You should be using this situation to your full advantage!**_

_No. I'm only here because I'm cold. He's just trying to help, that's it._

_**Oh HONESTLY! Sometimes I wonder where the hell you would be without me in your head.**_

_Maybe I would be sane…?_ Sakura countered, silencing Inner Sakura real quick. She decided not to dwell on it, and closed her eyes once more. Her shivering ceased about 10 minutes later, and Sasuke let out a sigh of relief.   
But he didn't let go of her.

…

Sakura woke up the next morning, feeling oddly refreshed and extremely _warm_. The sun's rays spilled through the window and she squinted as she tried to get them out of her eyes. Rolling over, she then felt something wrapped around her waist. Her eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder at the person sleeping peacefully next to her.

_Sasuke-kun?_ She thought, shock coursing through her mind. She saw that he was shirtless, and her heart jolted as she realized she wasn't in the same clothing as the day before.

_We didn't, you know…?_ She wondered.

**_Pfft, no. You were too much of a fucking baby._** Inner Sakura was awake.

_Oh leave me alone! _

_**Can't do that Forehead Freak. I'm a part of your head. You lose me, you lose your mind.**_

Sakura grimaced. Sometimes she hated having an alter personality. It could be so annoying at times. She rolled back over again, enjoying the warmth that Sasuke's body provided…**_And everything else…_** Inner Sakura commented rather crassly. Sakura's eyes widened and she shut her eyes tightly, mentally kicking and screaming, threatening to punch Inner Sakura's lights out.

"Ohayo." A deep voice said from behind. Sakura froze. _He WASN'T ASLEEP! OH FUCK! _ She rolled back over to look him straight in the eyes.

Onyx met emerald and the intensity behind his gaze made Sakura shiver involuntarily. When she did she felt his grip around her tighten. "Are you still cold?" he asked, his tone sounding concerned.

"N-no, I'm ok." Sakura said, trying her hardest to hide the blush she _knew_ was on her face.

"Hn." She looked back up at him, the blush gone, and a confused expression in its wake. But she relaxed instantly as she felt him pull her closer in his embrace. Sakura rolled over and cuddled into his chest, not wanting to let the moment end.

It was pure heaven.

"Sakura…" Sasuke's voice sounded husky. Sakura found herself looking up into his eyes.

"Hai?" She whispered. "You sure you're ok?" He asked, keeping his voice soft. She nodded, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him closer.

"I am now."

Something in Sasuke's heart leapt. He felt Sakura hug him closer and he smiled. Genuinely smiled. He held her embrace for a long moment before he pulled away, brushing a stray strand of pink away from her eyes.

"Step two…" He whispered softly, "Learning to let go. You're almost there." He said, smiling slightly down at her, his look apparently betraying how he felt because Sakura's eyes widened a little before she too smiled.

"Sasuke-kun…" She whispered her hand running along his jaw line until her fingers came to rest on his cheek. He gently held her wrist as he leaned in close.   
Sakura's eyes closed as she felt his lips capture hers.

At that moment, all the pain she'd endured in the years of his absence seemed to melt away. The most dramatic change she felt, however, was the gaping hole in her heart…

It was being filled.

Sasuke felt her hands go into his hair and he felt wetness on her face. He opened his eyes and looked at her, suddenly concerned. He gently pulled away, cupping her chin in his hand. "What's wrong? Are you all right?" He asked softly. Sakura's eyes opened at the break of contact and she looked up at him. Her fear barely bridled within her. She wanted to scream out, telling him exactly what had happened in his barely 24-hour absence, but she knew it would send him into a fit of rage.

Which was exactly what Itachi wanted.

Sakura drew a shaky breath. "Please, Sasuke-kun. I don't want you to feel this."

His eyes widened.

"What?"

Sakura sat up, her head in her hands. "I don't want you to seek revenge anymore."


	11. A Reason to Live

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, cuz if I did, I would be the happiest person alive. xD

WWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Thank you everyone who has been staying with me on this story! I _might_ end this soon, however. I wanna also try to focus on The Strength of the Heart too, you know?

Well, anyways, here's chapter 10!

* * *

**Stained Cherry Blossoms**

**A Reason to Live

* * *

**

She looked up at him, pain clearly evident in her eyes. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as she tried to pull away.  
"Sakura, what happened?" He asked his voice quiet. She shook her head. She didn't say anything as she stood up, heading into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and her lips were red. Turning on the cold water tap, she splashed icy water on her face, waking herself up. Getting dressed quickly, she noticed that something was missing…

The bandages she'd tightly wrapped around her upper torso were gone. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of crimson as she realized who must have removed them. She swallowed hard, finished getting dressed and emerged from the bathroom, pulling her medium length hair from her shoulders.

Sasuke stared in hidden awe as Sakura flipped her hair down, gathering silky strands of soft pink in between her fingers and tying it up in a ponytail away from her face. She sent him one last look as she headed out of his room.

"I have to go see Tsunade-sama today. See you around." She said over her shoulder.

Sasuke just sat there, stunned. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Sakura walked out the door, silently closing it behind her. The minute she was out in the hall was when her despair took over.

_He'll never be happy as long as he's got his stupid ambition to fulfill. I'll never tell him what Itachi said, NEVER! I'll die before I ever let him feel this pain I'm feeling right now…_ Sakura held onto her tears as she walked brusquely down the street to Konoha's hospital. She did her best to keep her composition in check as she greeted the nurses at the front desk with a forced smile, asking for her sensei. They told her that Tsunade was in her office, and Sakura headed there without a second thought.

Raising her fist to knock on the door, she heard a voice call from inside, "It's open Sakura."

Easing the door open, Sakura entered, never once saying anything. It was a few moments later when Tsunade looked up from her desk at her timid-looking apprentice. "Room 106 is ready and waiting. You can go in if you like. I'll be there in a minute." Sakura nodded numbly as she clutched the door handle.

Tsunade watched her apprentice depart. Something wasn't right, she could feel it.

…

Sakura collapsed on the exam table in the room. Her anxiety was starting to take over, and that wasn't good. _What the hell is happening to me?_ She thought.

Tsunade chose that moment, however, to interrupt her thoughts. She checked Sakura's healing injuries, frowning in worry as she noticed the fresh bandages over the deepest wound on her torso. "Sakura, you've got a lot of bruising around your upper torso. I thought you would know that you should not be training for at least a few weeks, but if you're that worried about your breasts getting in the way, start wearing a bra. I don't want to see you wrapping yourself anymore, understand?"

Sakura merely nodded.

"Tsunade-sama…" Sakura's voice carried off as Tsunade allowed her to pull her shirt back on over her head after making sure that the bleeding had indeed stopped.

"Hm?" came the reply. The Hokage's face was twisted into a studious frown as she ran over a list on her clipboard. She turned her attention back to her apprentice when she didn't say anything.

"What is it Sakura?" She asked.

"Has there been any news about Ino-chan?" She whispered.

"…"

Tsunade didn't reply for a long while. Sakura could tell by the look on her face that this was something Tsunade had been trying to avoid discussing with her. It had been almost two weeks since Sakura's rescue mission, and still there had been no sign or contact with the young blonde kunoichi. Worry etched its way onto her face as her emerald eyes dropped from the Hokage's face.

"We're still searching for her Sakura. Don't worry. We will find her."  
Guilt shot through Sakura's heart at Tsunade's words. Fact was, Sakura _knew_ where her best friend was, but she knew nothing of the danger of her friend's situation, nor did she know that her best friend was undercover on a highly confidential S-ranked mission. Tsunade sighed heavily. She turned her attention back to her clipboard, scanning the list of Sakura's recovering injuries. "You are getting close to being back to normal physically; however I still recommend that you refrain from over-exerting yourself. Train a little every other day. You should be completely healed by the end of the week. However, you are malnourished. Here is a prescription I want you to take. It will help give you your strength back and properly nourish your body. Eating again will also help. I'll see you on Saturday, ok?" Tsunade tore the piece of paper she'd scribbled Sakura's prescription on, off of the pad and handed it to her apprentice, watching her awfully close from behind her almond eyes. Sakura merely nodded as she hopped off the exam table.

"Sakura."

Sakura froze in the doorway. She slowly turned around to face Tsunade. "Hai, Tsunade-sama?" She asked respectfully. Her usual cheerfulness had been gone from her voice for what seemed like forever.

Too long in Tsunade's opinion. "Are you doing ok?"

_Heh, what a question._ Sakura thought bitterly to herself. "Yes, I'm fine." She replied, masking her pain with a fake smile. It was the one that could fool anyone. "I'm gonna go pick this up." Sakura said, holding her prescription slip up. "Until later, Tsunade-sama." She said, bowing respectfully before departing.

Tsunade watched as her apprentice left the room, walking solemnly out the door. She sighed deeply as she tried to let her guilt pass. Yamanaka Ino was Sakura's childhood best friend, and here she was, in deep enemy territory, finishing the work that the Harunos were doing before they were captured: Discovering how to bring Akatsuki down, from the inside out.

_I hope you will forgive me, Sakura. Ino may be your best friend, but at this point, she's Konoha's last hope._

No sooner had Sakura left the hospital did Sasuke enter. A worried look had graced his features as he hurriedly ran past a few visitors and attendants to ask the nurses at the front desk if Sakura was still there. They shook their heads, pleasantly informing him that she had just departed after retrieving her prescription.

…

The weather didn't help her mood. Guilt stricken and overcome with sadness, Sakura wandered the streets of Konoha with a dazed look on her face. Her eyes fell upon the Yamanaka Flower shop, where she saw Ino's mother tending to the outside displays. "Hello Sakura dear!" Mrs. Yamanaka called, waving cheerfully. Sakura forced a smile to her face and she waved back. "Any news on my darling daughter?"

Sakura's eyes dropped as she shook her head. Ino's mother sensed something was wrong, but she chose to hide her worry with useless pleasantries. "Well, I'm sure she'll be home soon. In the meantime, take this small bundle of flowers home with you. They're leftover from yesterday and I can't sell them anymore." She smiled warmly at Sakura as she handed her a bundle of Daffodils and carnations. Sakura bowed respectfully to her, thanking her kindly. "Arigato Yamanaka-san." She said quietly. Ino's mother beamed. "Now you get home dear! It's looking like the rain is coming again. You'll get sick if you stay out in bad weather!"

Sakura again forced another smile as she turned to go.

_Home? _Thanking the fact that her back was facing her friend's mother, she felt tears start to burn her eyes. _I don't have one anymore._ After a moment, she took off running as fast as she could manage. It suddenly didn't matter that she was still recovering. The only thing in her mind was to find some familiarity from her younger days. Her home had been cleaned and her family's belongings had been taken to Hokage Tower to be stored in storage until Sakura was old enough to move them to a house of her own. The Haruno house was in the process of being fixed up so it could be sold to a new family that had recently moved to Konoha.

_Where the fuck do I go now?_ She thought sadly. _What do I do? What's my reason for living? I've lost everything important._ She continued wandering until she found herself standing on the bridge where Team 7 used to meet everyday for training. Her green gaze looked out at the river. She felt a heavy drop of rain land on her shoulder, and soon watched as the water rippled with the rapidly repeating raindrops.

_How am I ever going to get through this? Everyone important to me has gone. Even…_

"SAKURA!"

She jerked her head in the direction of the one who'd just shouted her name. She saw him racing towards her. She merely turned around, facing the water once more, but this time, leaning on the railing for support. Her knees would give out on her if she didn't do so. When she felt him get closer, she dropped the bouquet of flowers from the Yamanaka Flower Shop and took off again, heading for someplace other than being near Sasuke.

_I can't let him know. He's already becoming dead to me too! I just—_

Sakura came to a halt in front of her house.

No one had moved in yet, but that didn't stop her from jumping up to the balcony where her old room was. She landed just outside her window, peeking in. The room was dark; however, she could see the details of the now sparse room. The bed was gone, as was her desk and everything that had once occupied her room was now either in storage or in boxes being packed up.

A chill went through her, and she took out a kunai, picking the lock on her window, as she'd done almost a thousand times after returning home late from training. The window opened, and she entered her room, a huge wave of sadness washing over her.

"Tousa, Okaasan, I'm home..." She whispered. She was drenched and she shivered before going to one of the boxes on the floor and fishing around for some of her clothes. She quickly peeled her wet ones off and dressed in her clean dry ones. Once she was done she picked her kunai up and went to where her bed used to be. Collapsing onto the floor, she buried her face in her arms, and for the first time, she let herself succumb to the pain in her heart. Crying would do her no justice now. Her heart was shattered beyond being able to just cry, so she did the next best thing she could think of: screaming her heart out.

Burying her face into her long-sleeved arms, she screamed. It was a good substitute for crying, she decided, as it left her throat raw and dry. She realized the physical pain helped ease the pain in her heart.

Sitting up, she looked down at the kunai as she struggled to breathe past the considerable amount of junk that had built up in her nose. She ran her sleeve across her nose and looked at her hand. Holding the kunai in her right hand, she sliced it across her left palm, watching in numb bemusement as pain erupted and blood began to spill out.

_My blood, my parents' blood. The last of the Harunos, the last of my family…_ She thought sadistically as she pulled her sleeve up. She lifted her hand and examined it as blood began to trickle down her arm.

Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed through her. "What would my parents think of me now…?" She whispered to herself. Her sea foam green eyes looked out her still cracked open window. The rain had stopped but it was still cloudy out.  
The wind blew and the cool breeze went through her hair, chilling her tear-streaked face.

"You know, you're not very smart leaving your window open at night." A voice said from the shadows of her room. Sakura lifted her head in the direction of the voice. "Is that why you're here, so you can make fun of me?"

Sasuke stepped out of the shadows. He approached her, sitting with her knees tucked up to her chin on the floor.

"That's not why I'm here." He responded, lifting her head up. Sakura hid her left hand from him, not wanting to let him see the blood now more than trickling from her self-inflicted wound. He took her other hand in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze, making sure he had her attention.

"You ran away from me…" Sasuke said, lowering his voice in a disappointed tone. "Why?"

Sakura dropped her eyes from his face. "I don't want to talk about it." She said softly. In her mind, she had already made up her mind on what she was going to do. It was the only way to make the pain permanently go away.

"I do." He said, not going to let her go so easily. "Sakura, something's happened, please tell me."

Squeezing her eyes shut, she clenched her kunai in her bloody hand tightly. She stood up, freeing herself from his proximity and slipped out the window onto her small balcony. "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun. I'm sorry for being a nuisance and a burden to you. I hope that you have the life that you want once you accomplish your goal."

With that said, she turned and leapt off her balcony, heading straight for the lake.

Sasuke stood abruptly. He wasted no time in going after her. Something in her words only deepened the already bad feeling in his gut.

He had to find her, and _fast._

* * *

Sakura ran as fast as she could. She was ready to go. The pain was eating her up alive, and if she didn't do this, Itachi would surely finish her off once he realized that Sasuke wasn't coming after him as quickly as he should if Sakura delivered her message. 

She came to a stop on the long pier. The moon was trying hard to peek through the thick clouds. Its eerie reflection shone on the pristine lake water. Sakura sat down next to the edge. _I'll just do it quickly and fall in. No one will be able to find my body. _She thought sickly to herself.

Her cold green gaze fell upon the now bloody kunai in her grasp.

Her whole life she'd learned how to use this weapon, kill with this weapon, defend and protect with this weapon. Now, as she thought more and more on it, it represented everything that she'd lost…including herself.

She lifted her chin slightly, pressing the edge of the dark blade to her skin. She felt a sharp sting and soon felt blood trickling down her throat. Smiling sadistically to herself, she gripped the handle with both hands, aiming the tip towards her, instead of normally away.

"I'll just end it all. There's nothing for me here now. Tousa, Okaasan, I'm so sorry for failing you." She murmured. Closing her eyes against her tears, she pulled her arms out straight, preparing to thrust the point of the kunai into her throat.

Right as the tip barely even touched her skin; however, did it stop there.

Sakura opened her eyes to meet blood-red ones.

"You're not getting away that easily." Sasuke said, gripping both of her hands with one of his own. His other, she noticed, had covered her throat protectively.

"Let me go Sasuke-kun." She whispered, tears finally leaking from her hopeless eyes, burning her cheeks. "Let me go."

"No."

"Please! Here, take my life then if you want. Get rid of me physically because you've already killed me emotionally! Kill me now and I can more than promise you that I will not annoy you anymore!" _You're killing me all over again right now._ She thought silently.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes on her. "Do you really think that's what I want?" He asked dangerously. Sakura flinched as he yanked the kunai from her grasp and chucked it as far away from her as possible.

"I won't just let you go!" He said, lifting her chin so she looked him in the eyes. "It's taken me long enough to realize that I need you Sakura!"

Sakura's jaw had dropped and the tears continued to fall. There was a long moment of silence before she finally was able to find the words to say.

_Good friends and nothing more?_ Itachi's voice echoed in her mind. Sakura shook her head hard.

"Why are you doing this to me Sasuke-kun? I can't fall for this again! You're going to leave again, just to go get your stupid revenge. I don't want you to go through this pain! I just want to die it hurts so bad! How can you think you can handle this so easily?"

Sasuke was speechless for a moment. He watched her tremble before his protective instinct for her took over. He pulled her into his arms and picked her up.

"I'm not just killing Itachi for revenge anymore." He said softly in her ear. "I'm doing it to protect you. I don't want him hurting you." Sakura's head came up as she looked up at him.

"Sasuke-kun, that doesn't matter either. You just don't understand! I got revenge against the ones responsible for killing my parents and in turn it's slowly killing me!" Her voice was sharp and her fists pounded against his chest.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke's voice was hard with concern and utter confusion. He easily caught her hands in his own, restraining her.

"I've lost everything that's been important to me in my life Sasuke-kun! I have no purpose for living anymore! I'm-I'm…_lost_, and so fucking _alone!_"

That was when Sasuke smiled. "No you're not." He said, leaning forward and kissing her on her forehead softly. "You're here with me. Where you belong." Sakura stared up at him wide-eyed. _Belong? I can still belong?_

"Of course you can." Sasuke's voice said in her ear. Her eyes widened. He looked deep into her eyes, pulling her closer to him. "I would truly be lost without you Sakura." He said in a low voice. "You're my cherry blossom of life."

At that, Sakura's eyes filled with tears once more. "I-I…" She stuttered.

"Shh…" Sasuke said softly, pulling her closer against him. "It's ok Sakura, its ok. You're not alone anymore." At that, Sakura burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her chest, refusing to let go.

She cried. For the first time she let everything go since she'd been brought back to Konoha. Sasuke just held her, gently cradling her safely in his arms, stroking her hair from time to time. His grip on her tightened as she cried harder.

After a while, he looked down at her. Her breathing was still ragged, but the majority of her tears had stopped. He gently lifted her chin to look him in the eyes. "I'm never going to leave you Sakura, I promise."

Sakura nodded slightly, burying her face in his chest. The spot on his shirt where she'd cried was wet with her tears. He leaned in close to her ear, nibbling softly on her lobe before whispering, "C'mon Sakura, let's go home."

She nodded, and then fell back against him, sound asleep.

Sasuke smirked. He scooped her up bridal-style and headed for his house. He brought her back to the Uchiha Estate, noting as he gently laid her down on his bed that she'd strained her wound. Blood seeped through the bandages that he'd put on her before, but he smiled slightly to himself as he shook his head, silently showing his bemusement at her stubbornness. _I guess all Uchihas, including future ones, carry this trait…_ He thought smugly to himself. He carefully changed the dressing on her wound, and tugged one of his fresh shirts over her head and then tucked her into his bed. He smiled as he saw her cuddle up instantly to get comfortable under the covers. Pulling his own shirt off, he crawled in next to her, being careful not to aggravate her wounds by just putting an arm around her shoulders.

* * *

Ino woke the next morning, her eyes sore and swollen from crying. Sakura, her best friend and original reason for leaving Konoha had been here yesterday. "What the hell am I still doing here?" She murmured, sitting up and feeling around under the futon for the hidden mission scroll she'd received from Tsunade. 

Everyday, Ino had been taking notes, different observations of Akatsuki activity and also keeping daily tabs on the security of the organization. So far, Itachi had been extremely tight-lipped about everything the organization had been talking about. She mostly stayed in her room during the day, basically wasting away in front of the window, or reading. She'd made progress in earning a few members' trust, as she was allowed to go outside into the high-fenced training fields a few days ago. She'd lain back on her back, gazing up at the clouds, vaguely wondering how her lazy-ass teammate Shikamaru was doing.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Oi, Kunoichi." A gravelly voice called. Ino sat up quickly only to find herself face to face with Kisame. "What is it?" She asked, keeping her voice blank. "You shouldn't spend so much time out here alone." _

_Ino sat up, a smirk on her face. "Why's that fish head? You guys afraid I'm going to escape?" Kisame chuckled at her plight. "None of us in Akatsuki have fears, kunoichi. Those are something you let go of when you join." His eyes narrowed on her though. "But it would be unfortunate if you chose to leave." He continued, making sure he had Ino's undivided attention. "Itachi-san would not be pleased, and I don't think you want to find out what it's like to be on his bad side." _

_Ino rolled her eyes. "Then clearly, fish head, you haven't been on mine." _

_Kisame grinned. "Clearly."_

_Ino sighed as she got to her feet. She walked past him and back into the main building, walking down the long hallway to her room. Before she knew what had happened, she felt herself backed up against the wall, her hands pinned above her head. _

"_It truly would be unfortunate if you left, Ino-chan." A smooth deep voice said in her ear. Ino shivered. "I-ta-chi..." She whispered. _

_He smirked. _

_END FLASHBACK_

Ino shivered at the memory. Since that night, Itachi really hadn't said too much to her. Something about his presence now bothered her, and the feeling of dread in her stomach grew with each passing day.  
Something wasn't right.

Ino pulled the rest of the scroll open to where there was a blank spot left for notes. Her blue eyes widened in horror and her heart froze in her chest as she saw someone else's handwriting. The letters were sophisticatedly formed, the owner's penmanship being of someone well versed in written language. Her eyes scanned the three words carefully, searching for something it could possibly mean.

_It is unfortunate. _

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry guys; I'm _not_ ending it here. I'm working harder on the next chapter because it's going to be a turning point in this story. I apologize for the slow updates! I've decided to use a USB flash drive cuz I can take it back and forth between home and school. (Typing it up at home and uploading it at school where there's HIGH SPEED INTERNET!) LOL! Bear with me a little bit longer, I beg of you! I'll be a little busy in the upcoming weeks because I have finals...well, just two that I have to study for, but these two classes could REALLY affect my GPA, so I HAVE to do well! **

**Thank you for reading, and **_PLEASE_** PLEASE **PLEASE **_PLEASE_**** leave me a nice review! **


	12. Promise

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters. (KUSO!) Hence the reason for this message thingy. xP

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ BEFORE READING! O.o…lol! **

Readers, THANK YOU FOR READING! Reviewers, I LOVE YOU ALL! Thank you for leaving such wonderful reviews! I might start a cookies and thank-you list for this fic. But you'll have to look at the end of the chapter.

Ok, next up: I'm KEEPING the InoxItachi pairing. I'm sorry if some of you don't like it, but it's the way it fits into the storyline is why I'm keeping it. If you all don't want to read about it, then please don't bother reading. I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but flaming won't help. I'm still keeping it.

Now, that said, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME FOR THIS CHAPTER! There are hints of a lemon, but not an actual one. ;;; sorry guys!  
It's a huge turning point in Ino's life, hence the reason why I wrote it. It needed to be done, however because of Ino's well, NEVERMIND! I'm not spoiling anything more! xD

Ok, I honestly don't want to sound mean here, but… PLEASE NO FLAMES! I will use your flames to make roasted marshmallows for s'mores. I'm not supposed to eat them either! I'm on a stupid diet for cheerleading! I'm serious. Just, don't do it, ok? I won't be too happy with you. I've chosen to keep this pairing out of the sake for my best friend who loves it. Please, again, don't kill me for it.

THERE WILL BE MORE SASUSAKU in the next chapter…THAT is a PROMISE!

But yeah, enough of my babbling.  
Here's chapter 12!

* * *

**Stained Cherry Blossoms**

**Chapter 12: Promise

* * *

**

Sakura woke the next morning. The sun was shining cheerfully through the window. She rolled over, remembering the events of the night before. Her eyes went to her left hand, which was still slightly covered in blood. Her attention shifted to the other person sleeping next to her. Sea foam green eyes roved over raven hair as she looked at his face.

**_He looks so cute when he's sleeping._** Inner Sakura said gleefully.

_Hehe. Yeah, I guess you're right…_

Sakura smiled softly as his words the night before ran through her mind…

_FLASHBACK_

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes on her. "Do you really think that's what I want?" He asked dangerously. Sakura flinched as he yanked the kunai from her grasp and chucked it as far away from her as possible. _

"_I won't just let you go!" He said, lifting her chin so she looked him in the eyes. "It's taken me long enough to realize that I need you Sakura!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

A surge of emotion went through her chest and tears swelled in her eyes.

_FLASHBACK_

"_I've lost everything that's been important to me in my life Sasuke-kun. I have no purpose for living anymore. I'm-I'm…_lost_, and so fucking _alone!_"_

_That was when Sasuke smiled. "No you're not." He said, kissing her on her forehead softly. "You're here with me. Where you belong_."

_END FLASHBACK_

Sakura felt the tears stream down her cheeks, but she smiled through them. She moved closer to him, grabbing him in a tight embrace. Sasuke chose that moment to open his eyes. He smirked as he saw her close to him. He ran his fingers through her hair lovingly.

"Ohayo," he said softly. Sakura opened her eyes, looking up at him through her tears. Sasuke frowned slightly, but he pulled her closer to him and lifted her chin up. Much to his surprise, it was Sakura herself who closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his. He responded immediately, one of his hands cupping her chin while the other snaked around her waist. Once they broke apart, Sakura leaned her forehead against his, looking deep into his eyes. Her heart held so much love for him, she barely could contain it.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around his chest. "I wouldn't be alive without you. Thank you for saving me." Sasuke stared at her intensely for a moment before he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. Sakura melted to him, feeling her whole body go limp in his arms. In an instant, Sasuke had flipped them around, so that she was underneath him. He kissed her more desperately, his tongue running over her lower lip. She opened for him instantly, her hands going into his soft raven hair. She tried to stifle a moan as he deepened the kiss, bringing their bodies closer. Sakura arched into him and he slipped a hand behind her back, supporting her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her.

_He's an amazing kisser! _She thought gleefully.

Once they broke apart, both were breathing hard. Sakura's cheeks had a permanent tinge of pink to them as her chest heaved. Her heart leapt into her throat as she saw him smirk. She smiled adorably up at him, chewing on her lower lip slightly as she tried to hide the obvious blush on her pale cheeks. Sasuke's arms never released her from their hold. She drew a deep breath before she whispered, "I love you Sasuke-kun."

His breath hitched in his throat as she smiled.

Genuinely smiled.

It was the smile that she'd always saved for him and the one she'd only given to him when they were younger. It had been _years_ since he'd truly seen it, her having locked it away in the walls of her heart. Now, however, it was back. Her smile always had been able to melt him on the inside; he'd just never had the courage to tell her. Relief washed through him as she continued to smile. He instinctively tightened his hold on her, hugging her close to his chest.

"Sakura…" He whispered softly. He wouldn't let her see, not yet, tears had started to form in the corners of his eyes. He was so glad to have finally gotten her back. "I'll always protect you."

Sakura cuddled close to his chest, relishing in the warmth and comfort his embrace had to offer. Leaning her head against him, she closed her watering green eyes.

**_Say SOMETHING you baka!_** Inner Sasuke shouted. **_She just said that she loved you and that's ALL you can come back with?_**

He didn't say anything after that. His fingers found their way back into her hair and he stroked it softly. He heard her sigh happily in his arms and he smiled. _I wouldn't trade this for anything in the entire world._ He thought silently. _I love her so much. I just want to be able to protect her. _Sasuke pulled the covers over them, burying his face in her hair by her ear.

"What'dya say we skip out on training today?" Sakura giggled. "But, Sasuke-kun, didn't you use to always—?" She was cut off as Sasuke placed a finger on her full lips.

"That was before I found something better to do." He said, pulling her against him. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

"What could you have found to be better than getting stronger? I thought that you wanted to train and…" Her voice trailed off as Sasuke lifted her chin closer. She was chewing playfully on her lip, and it was driving him crazy. He leaned closer, capturing her lips with his, breaking her teeth's hold on her lower lip.

"Mine." He whispered softly against her mouth as they both stopped for air. She smiled somewhat shyly as he kissed her again. Sakura gave in to him and her hands cupped his face as she kissed him back. She felt one of his hands slide lower, holding her by her hip. Efficiently pinned underneath him, she felt his possessiveness taking over.

She loved it.

His hand on her hip traced small circles with his fingers, sending a shiver through her. Sasuke broke the kiss, letting her gasp in surprise as his lips trailed down her neck. He paused just above the skin where between her neck and chest met. Without waiting another second longer, he leaned in, capturing the spot in his mouth, gently sucking on the skin, making her gasp. "Sasuke-kun…" She whispered, tears starting to stream through her closed eyes.

Sakura opened her eyes to find Sasuke smiling at her. "Sasuke-kun?" She asked, looking up at him. He surprised her by capturing her lips with his own.

"You're still mine, little cherry blossom." He whispered to her. Sakura's heart leapt into her throat.

"I wouldn't want it to be any other way." She responded, cuddling against him. "You've given me a reason to live." She felt his hand on her chest, right above her heart. Her eyes looked up into his face.

"But this still hurts, doesn't it?" He asked, his dark eyes watching her reaction. She nodded slowly. Sakura swallowed hard as she looked up at him. _Am I being dishonest by not telling him?_ She thought.

**_I didn't think the great brilliant genius Haruno Sakura would need to be told this..._**Inner Sakura sneered. **_If it's going to hurt him, then KEEP QUIET!_**

"I can't..." She whispered.

Sasuke looked at her. "You can't what, Sakura?" He asked, a frown creeping onto his face. Sakura looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Never mind." She whispered, turning her head away so she wouldn't see his face. He caught her chin in his hand and gently brought her to look at him once more. "Sakura, something's bothering you. Why won't you tell me what it is?"

Tears filled her eyes as her control slipped. "Because I don't want you to get hurt!" She blurted out. Sasuke felt her arms go around his shoulders and his upper body being held in a desperate embrace. He returned it immediately. Holding her close, he sat them both up before gently pulling away.

"What's going on?" He asked. Sakura sniffed, wiping the back of her left hand angrily across her eyes. Sasuke caught it, his eyes narrowing at the dried blood from her self-inflicted wound.

"Where did this come from?" He asked. Sakura dropped her chin. "I don't remember." She lied. "Dammit Sakura, tell me what the hell is going on! Please!" Sakura flinched with surprise as he pulled her close. "I hate seeing you like this."

She slowly hugged him back. "Sasuke-kun, I—"

"Don't lie again. I know you now better than you think." He said quietly, but stern enough to let her know that he was serious. She drew a shaky breath. "I...I can't tell you, I'm sorry." She finally sighed, tearing her eyes away from his face.

"This has something to do with my bastard brother, doesn't it?" Sasuke asked his voice cold. Sakura's heart froze. Her quiet, almost inaudible gasp was enough to confirm his last statement.

"H-How did you know?" She whispered.

"Someone saw Kisame taking you out of Konoha the other day before I came home. You were gone for only a few hours, but when you were returned, you were unconscious."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Sakura, why didn't you tell me about this?" Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she fought hard to hold them back. "Because I don't care what happens to me. I-I just wanted you to be happy, dammit! Why can't your brother just get over himself! I HATE HIM!" She shouted, her body shaking with fear and sadness.

Sasuke immediately caught her chin in his hand. "Did he say something to you?" He asked sharply. Sakura's eyes were wide. "N-No..." She said, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Did he say something to you?" He repeated in a calmer, quieter tone. Sakura bit her lip as more tears began streaming down her cheeks. She nodded slowly.

"It's got something to do with me coming after him, right?" Sakura's eyes widened in shock, and she tore herself away from him.

"NO! I won't let him win this time Sasuke-kun! You're finally back home in Konoha where you should have been for the past seven fucking years! I'm NOT going to let Itachi win in hurting you again! Not this time! I've finally got a chance to help you!"

Sasuke's charcoal eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Sakura choked on her response. "This time, he's after me."

Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously.

"If I'm not around, Itachi won't have a reason to come after you. That's why I wanted to die so badly last night. I hate feeling like this. I almost wish I _had_ died! At least that would mean you are safe."

Sasuke was at her side in an instant. "No! I wouldn't _have_ a life if you weren't alive!" His hands gripped her shoulders tightly. "Dammit, I love you Sakura!"

Sakura's eyes widened and her body went rigid in his grasp. If he had not been holding her by the shoulders, she probably would have collapsed to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she tore herself free from his grasp. She went back to the bedside and pulled the kunai he always kept underneath his pillow out.

"Do you?" She cried. His hand closed over hers that held the kunai. He lifted her chin with his other and pulled her close.

"Yes." He said softly, capturing her lips with his. Sakura melted to him, allowing her lips to part and letting him in. Both fought for dominance in the passionate dance of their kiss. Sakura could feel warmth spreading throughout her entire body as the seconds turned into minutes. When they broke apart, both were breathing hard.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered. He looked deep into her eyes. "If you love me, will you please make a promise?" She whispered.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly in a frown. "What kind of promise?"

Sakura took the kunai, and sliced it over her barely healed wound on her hand from the night before.

"One of these." She said quietly. He nodded, and took the kunai from her. Slicing it across his own palm, he felt a slight sting and then the warmth of blood washing over his hand.

Their bloody hands met, fingers entwining and blood mixing with each other's as it streaked down their wrists and arms.

"Promise me, that we'll do this together. He won't stand a chance against the two of us. Please let me help you in your quest." Sakura's voice was steady, almost calm in a way.

Sasuke looked into her eyes. She wasn't anywhere _near_ the crying 12-year old he'd left behind when he'd gone off to join Orochimaru all those years ago. Now, she was more involved than he would prefer, but what choice did he have? Itachi had somehow already found out about her and now whether he liked it or not, her life was in danger. He would never let anything happen to her again.

"I promise, Sakura." He said, keeping his voice serious. Both held each other's gazes for a moment before Sakura pulled him to her in a tight embrace.

"Thank you." She whispered. Relief had washed through her, knowing that everything would soon be all right. Itachi would get what was coming to him, and Sasuke wouldn't leave her alone ever again.

Sasuke gently squeezed her hand. "Was this really necessary?" He asked softly in her ear. Sakura pulled her face away from his chest to look at their bloody but still entwined hands.

"You already had my word that I will protect you for the rest of my life." His voice was so soft, so deep. It sent a shiver down her spine.

"I just, I want to be with you Sasuke-kun. I love you. I want to help you in this battle because it's important to you."

He felt his heart swell with pride in his chest. "I don't want you to get hurt." He said quietly, his other hand holding her close by the base of her neck, stroking through her pink tresses softly.

Sakura pulled away to look him in the eyes. "Don't worry, I won't." She said. He smirked at her. "Well, I'd say its time that we got to training then. I want to make sure that you're completely ready to be able to fight against Itachi."

Sakura smiled. "I'll do it." She said, her voice growing confident.

Sasuke bent closer, capturing her lips again with his. "Now _that's_ my Sakura." He said, pride showing in his voice. She hugged him close to her body. "I can do anything if you're there with me, Sasuke-kun." She said, breaking away and letting her hand drop to her side. Blood dripped down from her slowly healing wound.

"Although you may want to heal or bandage that hand; you will have trouble forming seals if you don't." Sasuke advised.

Sakura nodded. "Hai, Uchiha sensei..." She giggled at his responding look. Her happy smile was enough to make his icy heart melt...again.

* * *

Panic filled her senses as she stared at the words on the paper. _Oh fuck, what am I going to do? He knows about my mission now! My cover has been completely blown! It's too late to get a message out to Tsunade-sama...Itachi will surely kill me now._ Her thoughts ran through her mind a mile a minute. She immediately rolled up the scroll, stuffing it into the pocket of her cloak. 

Her eyes widened as she heard the door to her room open. Jerking her head up in the direction of the doorway, she felt his chakra before she saw his face.

"O-Ohayo Itachi-san." She whispered, fear clearly evident in her voice.

He turned around.

Ino froze as her sky-blue eyes met red sharingan. Her breath hitched in her throat and she began to back away on the bed. She heard him chuckle, though she couldn't see his whole face because of his cloak, she knew he was smirking that famous Uchiha smirk.

"Come now Ino-chan, do you really think that will help you?" Ino could almost _see_ the smirk on his gorgeous face. Thinking clearly, she knew she had to act fast, otherwise she may not get another chance to escape.

She jumped off the bed, her hands forming the shishinten seal. In a split second, she'd hit her mark, timing it perfectly to where she was in Itachi's mind just long enough to distract him before she cancelled and her mind went back to her own body. She raced out of the door, pushing by Itachi hard enough to have him stagger back and out of her escape path.

Her brain worked quickly, formulating an escape plan in her mind. She'd memorized every corridor and passageway of the Akatsuki stronghold, so she knew where she was going, thankfully. Upon reaching the exit, she burst through the doors at lightening speed.

Her heart pounded hard against her chest, echoing in her ears.

_Gotta get away, gotta get away. _She kept repeating over and over in her head. Too bad she was too scared to notice the raven haired Nin hot on her tail.

Itachi smiled to himself. _So she thinks she can escape me? This should be interesting._ He thought.

His blood red eyes scanned the surrounding forest, searching for the fleeing kunoichi. He wasn't worried at all about the information she'd gathered. He was positive he would catch her. It was only a matter of time.

Ino kept herself in her dead run for almost ten minutes straight. When she finally stopped, she landed on a branch, hiding herself behind the trunk of the tree she was on. Her breathing did nothing to help conceal her presence. It was harsh and ragged.

"Tired?" A smooth voice asked from her left.

Ino's heart skipped a few beats as she jerked around, only to find herself face to face with Itachi.

"No..." She whispered. Her eyes wide with fear, she took off again, this time in a random direction. She couldn't let herself get caught! Konoha's future depended upon her returning home, _alive_.

Itachi would hear of no such thing.

Ino felt her body growing weary, but she pressed on. "I-gotta, gotta get _out_ of-here!" She muttered to herself. But as her concentration slipped, so did her footing. She felt her foot catch on a vine, no _string_.

"KUSO!" She cried as she realized she'd unknowingly walked right into a trap. She felt the shuriken's string wrap around her foot again, bringing her down hard to the branch. Thinking quickly, she whipped out a kunai, slicing through the string just before she heard, "KATON! GOUKYAKU NO JUTSU!" Itachi's voice was loud, but what came next nearly rooted her to the spot.

A large ball of fire shot out of nowhere toward her. Ino managed to get a hold of herself in time and she dodged the attack. But she felt something in her cloak slip.

The secret scroll.

It landed on the space she'd just vacated and the flames engulfed the entire area, burning everything within its wake.

"FUCK!" Ino yelled. It had taken her almost a month to compile all that information, and now it was lost forever. She didn't have the time to grieve the loss of the useful tool for Konoha as she saw a dark figure drop through the flames, coming at her again. This time, she wasted no time in moving again. Her heart pounded hard as she ran through the trees. Deciding that she might have a chance of throwing him off, Ino dropped down to the forest floor, running on foot on the ground as fast as her legs would carry her. She continued running until she heard a whistling sound behind her. She flipped out of the way in time as six shuriken's came flying at her.

"You can't run forever Ino-chan." A taunting voice said. Ino looked around her, her hair having come loose from its usual style, whipped around her face, sticking to her skin. _DAMN this long hair! I can't see shit! _

"What's the matter? Gotten yourself lost, have you?" Itachi's voice taunted again.

Tears of fear started to well in her eyes. _This is really it. He's gonna catch me and I'm really gonna die..._

Images of her friend's faces flashed before her eyes as she realized she'd never see them again.

"NO!" She cried. She could hear footsteps behind her now, and they were growing closer. No matter how hard she ran, nor how far, it was never enough to get completely away from him.

Ino instantly got an idea. _If I get near a village he will surely back off. He's a wanted S-class Nin! He won't be stupid enough to follow me into a place where he could be arrested, would he?_

Putting everything she had into that gamble, she took off running with a renewed strength: A hope that she would live to see the next day. She ran hard, and soon she was able to see houses through the trees. Jumping up into the branches, she felt her excitement grow steadily as she realized that she soon would be safe.

"Still think you're free?" an icy voice asked from behind her. Ino jumped with shock and spun around on her heel, swinging her kunai around instinctively to a defensive position in front of her. Metal clanged on metal as her kunai clashed with the one behind her. She looked up at the owner of the voice and her chest heaved as she struggled to get oxygen into her burning lungs. Fearful blue met amused yet slightly annoyed red sharingan.

"No, please, no!" Ino gasped as she started backing away.

Itachi matched her step for step as she continued backing slowly away from him. Tears had formed in her eyes already and she choked on a wave of fear that washed through her.

Ino brought her kunai up in front of her again, holding it tightly in her right hand. Her left hand pressed into the cold metal loop; serving as a back-up force should she need to drive the blade into her attacker. Itachi stared at her, an amused look on his face. His eyes briefly scanned the area, making sure that they were indeed far enough away from the small village not to be heard.

Ino jerked her head in the direction that he was staring, daring to take her eyes off of him for a split second.

That was her only mistake.

Within half of a second, Itachi had swiftly closed the distance between them, pinning her to the nearest tree, her arms held above her head with just one of his hands. Ino screamed in surprise, only to have Itachi's other hand close over her mouth.

"You should have known better to run from Akatsuki, Ino-chan."

Fear took over, and Ino's defenses broke. Her whole body had begun trembling and she started to cry.

Uchiha Itachi was a murderer. He wouldn't think twice nor have any remorse should he decide to take her life. In fact, he probably would have the audacity to wipe her blood from his hands onto her clothing after he was done. The very thought sent a jolt of panic through her entire body. Soon, her crying turned harder, and her knees finally gave out on her. She felt her body crash to the ground as Itachi's casual but slightly firm grip on her wrists disappeared. Curling herself into a ball at his feet, Ino covered her head with her arms, not wanting to see his face when it happened.

"No no no!" She cried. Tears raked her body and she soon gasped for air. She was hysterical. Realization that she wouldn't be rescued this time hit her hard and she tightened her hold on her head, making sure her arms covered her face. The last thing she wanted to die from was a doujutsu from of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan.

Itachi stood over her. His first thought was to shut her up, in the event that any villager just so happened to be passing nearby; but he discarded it, taking into consideration the time of day it was, or night to be more accurate. He knelt beside her, taking the kunai from her trembling hands.

Gently taking her by the shoulders, he sat her up so she was at least able to breathe properly. He leaned her against the tree and stared deep into her eyes. She was still crying, but not as hard.

Pure fear.

That was the main thing he saw in her eyes. Clearly, she'd done her homework and knew all that he was capable of. His reputation had preceded him in that respect.

"I always know how to find you." He said softly. Ino flinched as his grip on her kunai turned casual. He spun it idly with his finger. Before she knew it, he'd lifted her chin and she felt the cool metal of the blade being pressed against her throat.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She knew what came next. She was a kunoichi after all and was trained to kill.

Itachi smirked as he saw her trembling increase. Instead of swiping the blade across the delicate skin of her throat to end her life, he let the weapon fall from his grasp and he closed the distance between them instantly, capturing her trembling lips with his own. Ino gasped in surprise, giving him the perfect chance to enter. She closed her eyes again, letting her tears fall as she tested the new ground she was treading on. Slowly, uncertainly, she responded. Itachi instantly pulled her against him as he felt her response. Ino reacted without a second thought. She wrapped both arms around his neck, eventually relaxing in his grip.

It happened faster than she could have been ready to prepare for.

Itachi had pulled her down and pinned her to the ground so that she was underneath him. Her eyes were wide as she felt his hand go into her hair, pulling it away from her face.

"You are _mine_, Ino-chan. I'm never letting you go." He said in her ear. Ino shivered as she felt him pull her up against him.

"I-I promise I will stay with you forever." She whispered softly.

Itachi smirked as he captured her lips again. He felt Ino wrap her arms around his neck and eventually slip into his raven hair.

Relief that she was going to be allowed to live flooded through her. As Itachi stood, he pulled her to her feet. Fatigue had taken its toll on her, but Ino refused to let it show. She leaned heavily on the tree as Itachi picked up the forgotten kunai. One look at her was all it took for him to deftly move forth and scoop her up into his arms. Ino squeaked in surprise.

"I-Itachi-san!" She said, her voice cracking somewhat. He smirked. "Is there a problem Ino?" He asked. Ino's eyes widened. _Damn him and his sexy voice!_ She thought to herself. She shivered.

"N-No." She murmured.

"Good. Sleep." He commanded, brushing his fingers down over her eyelids, closing them. Ino immediately cuddled into his chest, breathing in his scent and allowing her body to relax.

Itachi smirked when he finally felt her go limp, indicating that she had indeed fallen asleep. The trip back to the Akatsuki base took less than half an hour with his speed. Ino was no where near up to par with his abilities; therefore her fruitless escape attempt had been unsuccessful. Had she tried to take off while everyone was asleep in the early hours of the morning, she might have gotten away with it. His now onyx eyes found her sleeping face. Her cheeks were still tear-streaked, but at least her breathing was peaceful.

He made it back in record time. Kisame was waiting for him at the gated entrance. "Kunoichi already try to get away?" He asked a smug look on his shark-like face.

Itachi shook his head. "She overexerted herself training. I found her just outside the gates." Kisame shrugged, letting whatever retort he had go. Whatever had truly happened between his partner and the kunoichi was apparently going to _stay_ in between them.

Itachi took Ino back to her room. He made sure the door was locked securely before he gently undid the button at the top of her cloak holding it around her shoulders. He let it pool on the floor before he moved forward, laying her on the bed and tucking her in. He smirked as he crawled in next to her and she snuggled up next to him. Wrapping an arm protectively around her, he finally found sleep in listening to her faint heartbeat against his chest.

* * *

When she woke a few hours later, she felt an arm around her waist and someone's knee in between her legs… W_ait, WHAT?_

Ino sat up fast, her heart pounding hard against her ribs. This was definitely _not_ the type of thing she wanted to wake up to, especially after the nights' earlier events…

"What the hell?" She muttered.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." A deep smooth voice said softly in the shell of her ear. She shivered.

"I-Itachi-san." Ino whispered.

He smirked. Within a split second, he had pinned both of her hands above her head and straddled her. "Did you forget about your promise already?" He cooed in her ear. "N-No…" Ino whimpered, averting her eyes from his face. She didn't want to look up into his red orbs. But his free hand found her chin and gently guided her face to look back up at his.

"It would not be good if you have forgotten because," He never took his eyes off of her. "I would have to refresh your memory."

Ino swallowed hard and with the still timid expression on her face, she nibbled on her lip.

"I-I ha-have not forgotten Itachi-san." She stuttered. She saw his eyes flash from onyx to the blood-red of the sharingan. Her small gasp of fear was what made his control snap. Quicker than the blink of an eye, he caught her trembling lips with his, biting down on her upper lip. Ino cried out in shock, giving him the perfect chance to slip his tongue into her mouth. Ino's blue eyes widened for a second before she closed them, giving in to his bruising kiss. Before she could respond, however, he pulled away and locked gazes with her. Opening her eyes in confusion, she looked up into his eyes.

He was glaring at her.

Her heart jolted with fear as she saw something in his gaze change again. This time, she felt her whole body go numb. Her eyes widened again with fear as she looked around the now changing room. She found herself in an elegant four-poster in a crimson room. The gold-plated windows indicated that it was still dark outside.

_Oh fuck, what's going to happen? Is he going to change his mind and kill me anyway?_ That fear burned her mind as she looked around. She saw him sitting in a chair not too far from the bed.

"You are in an advanced form of the Tsukuyomi." Itachi informed her. Ino immediately clasped her hands together in the tiger seal, hoping to somehow break through the strong genjutsu.

He raised an eyebrow at her, an amused expression on his gorgeous features. "That will not work." He said bluntly, standing up and walking over to the bed where she lay.

Ino looked up at him, her heart pounding so hard against her chest that she was more than positive he could hear it. "W-What do you want?" She whispered, trying to get her body to _move_. He smirked.

"You."

Her eyes widened again and she bit down hard on her lip, hoping to wake herself. Blood filled her senses and snapped her attention back to where it belonged. Before she could act, however, she felt herself pinned down again, this time, a gentler kiss being placed upon her lips.

Ino melted into his chest. His touch burned her already hot skin as she felt one of his hands slip into her shirt.

"You can stop trembling now my little Ino-chan." He said huskily in her ear. "You are going to be the first to ever experience this form of the Tsukuyomi. Instead of feeling pain for 72 hours," He smirked at her now changing expression. He cupped her left breast in his hand and stroked it with his thumb. "You will feel sheer bliss." She gasped and whimpered softly. _Oh god what the fucking hell is wrong with me!…_she thought.

Capturing her lips in a kiss again, Ino did her best to stifle a soft moan. Itachi smirked and deepened the kiss, making her arch into him. He lifted her up into his strong arms and held her close as the two fought for dominance. Clothes were torn off, sometimes with the help of a kunai. Soon, both were breathing feverishly hard as Ino lay on top of him, having forced him backwards onto the bed.

"I can't do this!" She cried, looking down at his smirking face. His uncaring expression really pissed her off. Straddling him, she closed both hands around his neck in an impossible choking grip. "I'm betraying Konoha by just _staying_ here! Why the hell did you do this to me Itachi?" His smirk fell off his face and he stared blankly up into her eyes.

Ino felt her anger start to boil. "I hate this." She murmured. Itachi slowly but agonizingly stroked the sides of her bare thighs until his hands came to rest on her hips.

"Do you hate me?" He asked, watching her expression.

She met his gaze. "Just for betraying Konoha." She retorted.

He smirked again, enjoying her anger. It amused him. "But isn't that what you're doing?" He returned, waiting for her to snap.

Her angry glare softened. "N-No." She said quietly. Her grip around his throat loosened as she felt tears start to burn her eyes.

In a split-second, Itachi had flipped their positions and efficiently pinned her underneath him. Ino hid her face from him, not wanting to let him see her hated tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Ino-chan…" His velvety deep voice whispered in her ear. Her body stiffened. "Its time you decided what you want, not what your village wants for you. This is your life." He gently kissed her neck before he buried his face in her hair breathing in her scent.

"What do you want little kunoichi?" He asked, his voice husky. Ino gasped as she felt his caress on her shoulder trail down her side and come to a stop on her flat stomach.

Ino felt her body shiver with anticipation. "I-I don't know." She whispered. Her eyes burned with hot tears as her thoughts turned to her best friends and teammates back in Konoha. "I-I'm betraying everyone just for myself?" Her voice cracked. Itachi smirked. "You have to take care of yourself first if you want to waste time thinking about others." His fingers traced a hot trail to her hip, where he drew small circles on her feverish skin.

"What do you want Ino-chan?"

Ino looked up into his eyes. "For you to never leave me." She finally whispered in a soft voice. He smirked before leaning forward and kissing her hard. His hands went into her hair, pulling her to him. He tasted her blood on his lips and he deepened the kiss hungrily.

"Itachi-san…" Ino breathed. He pulled her closer to him.

"Don't be so formal with me." He growled into her mouth. Ino responded with a fierce kiss of her own. Itachi responded immediately, almost as if he wasn't at all surprised.

"I'm sorry, Itachi-kun." She whispered anxiously as he pulled away from the kiss and began trailing kisses down her neck. When he got to the base of her throat, his teeth bit through her sensitive skin; drawing blood and marking her as his. Ino whimpered softly as he licked the blood from her small wound.

When he looked back up into her eyes, Ino saw her blood dripping on his lower lip. The seductive glare he was giving her sent shivers down her spine.

"Mine." He growled.

Ino giggled playfully before he silenced her with another kiss.

* * *

Morning came, cheerful and bright. Ino opened her eyes to meet the rising sun. She felt a tight hold around her waist and she smiled at the aching between her legs. _I can't believe what happened last night_. She thought to herself. _I really have betrayed Konoha, but for some reason, I don't care anymore._

Rolling over slightly, she looked at Itachi's sleeping face. "You look so adorable when you sleep." She whispered softly, before gently placing a soft kiss on his cheek. Ino pulled herself out of his grip and quietly slipped out of bed. She saw his cloak draped over the desk chair and she wrapped it around her, fastening it all the way up so she wouldn't have to bother getting dressed.

Softly unlocking the door, she exited the room and quickly made her way to the kitchen. Preparing a quick breakfast for the both of them, she brought it back to their room.

Itachi was still asleep as she set the tray on the bedside table. Ino grinned as she climbed back up on the bed and crawled over next to him. Running a hand through his hair, she leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips. She nearly jumped when she felt him respond. Opening her eyes and pulling away slightly, blue met red. She smiled.

"You were supposed to be asleep, baka. You're ruining my surprise" Ino whispered, pouting. She raised a hand to slap him playfully, but Itachi grabbed it and held her still. Startled, she looked down into his eyes. His eyes glinted wickedly and used her precarious position to pull her down to him. When they pulled apart, he studied her closely. He smirked when he saw her dressed in nothing but his Akatsuki cloak.

"I made you breakfast sleepy head." Ino said cheerfully, leaning over him to the tray on the table. She was stopped when she felt his hands on her hips, pulling her away from the tray and then down to him. With her head on his chest, she could hear his heartbeat. Calm and steady. She closed her eyes for a moment, briefly debating on whether or not to go back to sleep. She felt his hand run through her hair.

"Are you ok?" He asked in her ear.

The question threw her off. It almost seemed uncharacteristic of him in a way. He'd killed off his entire clan in one night, constantly tortured his younger brother and even threatened her best friend.. But here he was, Uchiha Itachi, S-class criminal, asking her if she was ok. _Weird world we live in._ She thought cynically to herself.

Turning a genuinely bright smile to him, she replied, "I'm great!" Leaning in close, she pecked him happily on the lips, before her eyes fell to the tray. "You really should eat before your breakfast gets cold Itachi-kun." She said, sitting back on her legs and crossing her arms over her chest.

He smirked and pulled her down to him again. His arms went around her and he buried his face in her neck. "Only if you eat with me." He murmured smoothly in her ear. She giggled. "You're so stubborn."

In an instant, Itachi had flipped their positions to where he'd efficiently pinned her beneath him. "Like someone else I know." He replied, their faces almost touching. Ino blushed and bit her lip in slight nervousness.

Before she knew what happened next, she was kissing him…and all her nervousness melted away.

* * *

**A/N: So what did you all think? I'm not done with this yet, don't worry! I think I'm going to stretch it out some more, work on a few more character developments before I ultimately decide where I'm gonna end this. My writer's block has officially gone POOF! SHANNARO! Now though, I'm studying for finals and going to the gym to tumble every chance I get. LOL! **

**Anyways, _please review_!**

**(Buttony thing is right here!) **


	13. Adjusting

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters. If I did, I would be the happiest person alive! XD

**If anyone is interested, I posted two pairing cosplay pictures for this fic on my profile. If you want, you can look and tell me what you guys think!**

Review thank-you's at the end of the chapter. xD

* * *

**Stained Cherry Blossoms**

**Adjusting

* * *

**

_Six months later._

Worry etched with doubt began to fill the place of hope in the rumors of Yamanaka Ino ever returning to Konoha. The young kunoichi had been missing for near to seven months on an S-class mission, involving S-class criminal ninjas.

Akatsuki.

However, the Godaime had another problem on her hands. There was a new assassin on the loose, one that had seemed to come of age about 2 months prior. The assassin was female, as the one who'd sighted her noted her small figure and flashing blue eyes. It was rumored that she was affiliated with Akatsuki, as sightings of the person were said to have seen her traveling and fighting alongside the S-class criminal Nins in their trademark cloaks.

Her name…

Red Iris.

* * *

"KATON: GOUKAKYUU NO JUTSU!" 

A large fireball of chakra erupted from the mouth of the pink-haired in-training fire-wielder. The large ball of fire shot from their lips as their opponent leapt into the air, forming handseals to avoid being incinerated. Chakra aided in the dodge, feet planting against the nearest tree and pushing off with blinding speed.

In an instant, the sound of metal crashing upon metal could be heard resounding through the trees.

Not allowing defeat, the two opponents locked death grips with kunai.

Fierce green met blood red sharingan.

After a moment of intense glaring, the two leapt apart, each forming handseals for their next attack. Soon, the high-pitched sound of chirping birds filled the forest as blinding white light shone in each ninja's hand.

"CHIDORI!" Both shouted, launching themselves toward one another.

White light met white light as the two combatants locked gazes again. Pain shot up their arms as their chakra attacks began deteriorating the other's chakra channels in their arms.

In an instant, red sharingan changed again, and fierce green snapped their eyes closed quickly.

"Good."

Sakura felt her hand being released and she jumped away, flipping backwards and landing gracefully on the unseen branch behind her. Her right hand throbbed with pain and she could feel blood trickling down her sore fingers as she drew several deep, rejuvenating breaths.

Finally, allowing her eyes to open slowly, she looked across the battlefield where she and Sasuke had been training.

It was torn to shreds.

Smiling faintly, she looked up to see her opponent standing on a tree a few meters from her. His left hand was in the same condition as hers, but the smile on his face betrayed nothing of his pain.

"Good." He repeated. Leaping off his branch, he pulled a kunai from his holster and attacked. Sakura rolled out of the way in time, her left hand groping her right side holster awkwardly as she struggled to arm herself in time.

With a frustrated cry, she pushed herself towards the edge of the branch and felt her body begin to fall. Using the short amount of freefall to arm herself, she yanked a few shuriken between her fingers, throwing them at her now descending opponent as she flipped again, landing roughly on the torn up earth.

Her opponent landed a few nanoseconds later, his right hand disappearing behind him as he pulled another weapon from his kunai holster.

Sakura knew then that in order for her to get an attack plan in place she would have to put more distance between them. So, gathering chakra to her feet, she pushed off the ground and jumped high into the air, landing swiftly on a branch and propelling herself upward. She paused only a few seconds when she heard,

"Running from an enemy can be seen as a weakness…"

Sakura smirked as she pulled a senbon drenched in a paralysis fluid from her medic pack. "And putting distance from the enemy allows for surprises!" she fired back, throwing the senbon in the wake of a kunai.

Sasuke barely dodged it, having seen through the attack with the sharingan. He smirked. Catching the kunai between two fingers, he let the subduing senbon pass safely by before he changed his course of pursuit.

Sakura threw a glance behind her and saw that she was no longer being pursued. Pausing only momentarily on a nearby branch, she drew air into her burning lungs. Just as she thought that she might have succeeded in out-maneuvering him, she heard the flick and snap of thin wire. Jerking her head in the direction of the sound, she saw several kunai encircling her before she ultimately was pinned to the tree.

She heard a quiet chuckling to her right and her eyes jerked in the direction only to find Sasuke standing casually 50 feet in front of her.

"Focus." He murmured, his voice carrying through the air and reaching her ears a few seconds later.

Sakura closed her eyes against the cool breeze making them tear up. She could almost _hear_ him chuckle and perform the seals for his next attack.

"KATON: Karyuu Endan."

Opening her jade eyes, Sakura gathered chakra to her hands and quickly spread it until it completely surrounded her. The flames came at her, threatening to engulf her entirely, but she snapped her good hand, holding a kunai up and sliced through the wire holding her still. Pushing more chakra to her feet, she jumped up and over the wall of fire approaching. The shield of chakra she'd gathered around herself aided in her escape from the flames. Sakura flipped twice as she cleared the hot flames…

…landing gracefully in a defensive position on the other side, the tree incinerating the spot she'd been trapped on just seconds before…

Sasuke smirked.

_She's gotten much better._ He thought to himself before pulling his last weapon from his pack. He snapped it open, all four blades opening and locking into place as he stared warily at his opponent.

Her breathing was coming in short painful gasps, her lungs having taken in too much carbon monoxide from his last fire attack. She turned her eyes up at him, seeing him already preparing another attack.

_Never wastes a second, does he?_ She thought bitterly as she forced herself to her feet. In her evasion of his last attack, she'd used up a good percentage of her chakra and boy was she feeling it. Her knees trembled a little, but she put her gloved hands on them, forcing herself to stand again.

"What are you waiting for?" She snapped, her determined gaze finding his scrutinizing one.

Sasuke smirked and jumped off his branch, disappearing from her sight. Sakura looked around wildly for him as her hands clenched into fists. That windmill shuriken would be a pain in the ass to dodge if she didn't catch sight of him soon. _Either that or he's planning on distracting me from the attack while he comes at me from another direction…_Her thoughts mirrored nothing to the determined glare etched into her features.

She heard the quad-bladed weapon hurling at her before she actually saw it. From experience, she knew there was a second one following the first. Thinking quickly, she dodged the first one, watching as it barely grazed her cheek before slicing through the trees.

What happened next surprised her.

Her feet were pulled off of the branch and the second shuriken coming at her was stopped as someone caught it in their hand. Sakura's heart pounded hard in her chest as she looked up at the owner of the chest she'd stumbled into.

"You should've told me you were worn out." Sasuke admonished quietly, feeling her heart beat hard against his chest. He smirked, though, when he felt her protest. She put both hands on his shoulders and tried to push herself away.

"I-I'm fine." She countered, putting as much of a bite into her words as possible. She didn't look up at his face though, already knowing that his red gaze was scrutinizing her closely.

"Yeah, right." He muttered and wrapped an arm around her waist. With the other he snapped the shuriken closed and put it away before slipping his hand behind her knees and scooping her off of her feet.

No longer having something to ground her fatigue on, Sakura felt her eyelids begin to droop. _It also doesn't help that he's so warm either…_She barely had time to think before she started to drift off.

Sasuke smirked as he started walking back. The forest around them where they'd been training the last few weeks was completely torn up. Trees had been uprooted or burnt to a crisp. The grass was dead from too many jutsus used, to too much chakra transferred through it.

_Looks like we'll have to find another place to train._ He thought smugly to himself as he looked down at her exhausted face. The memory of the past battle still very fresh in his mind, her recalled how quickly she'd managed to dodge his attacks and how swiftly she'd countered them with her own.

_You really have grown, Sakura._ He though smugly. Pulling her closer against him, he leapt into the trees, taking a shorter route back home.

* * *

Exhausted eyes opened against the morning sunlight. The first thing to reach her senses was the overwhelming stench of blood. Snapping her eyes open, she looked around, taking in her surroundings immediately before jumping from her current position to one of complete concealment. 

She'd been knocked out.

The source of the blood of course had been from her opponents, or should she say…

Targets.

Smirking to herself, she tenderly pulled two purple blooms from her pouch. Her fingers, now more than mostly covered in blood, bloodied up the flower blooms as she tossed one onto the chest of the dead leader of lackeys. Brushing her hands off contentedly, she hunched down low, making sure she masked her chakra to keep herself inconspicuous.

Her slim-fitting attire reeked of blood and sweat, but she held her breath as she heard people approaching. Her katana was safely sheathed on her back and she got a good grip on the hilt in the event of having to kill and run.

Several villagers from the village of her targets found the site of the brutal massacre. Their eyes widened and their faces paled at the signature bloody flower lying on one of the dead men.

"IT'S HER! RED IRIS HAS STRUCK AGAIN!" They screamed before tearing off in a dead run as far from the scene as possible.

Ino smirked.

_Itachi-kun will be pleased._

* * *

Soft touches trailed on her cheek, gently coaxing her back to consciousness. Her eyes opened reluctantly, knowing that a stern lecture would await her. 

"You're awake." A voice said to her right. Emerald green groggily looked up into obsidian orbs gazing down at her intently. "Hi." She whispered, her throat feeling dry as the sand from Sunagakure.

Sasuke smirked. "You were out for a while. It's a good thing we stopped when we did, you were almost out of chakra and could've died from chakra depletion."

_Here it comes…_

He sighed. "Next time, just say something, ok?"

Sakura nodded slightly, eyes wide at his mild reprimand. She felt him brush several strands of pink from her eyes before his hand moved to behind her shoulder. "Here, sit up and drink." He said, taking a glass of water off of the night table and handing it to her once she'd sat up completely. Sakura took the cup from him and tilted the rim towards her lips. Crisp, cool water filled her mouth and soothed her throat as she swallowed. She looked back up at her teammate, who nodded, encouraging her to drink more. Sakura closed her eyes as she finished the water. Her throat felt worlds better and her vision had cleared drastically.

"You've gotten stronger."

Sakura's head jerked up and her eyes widened a little as she stared at Sasuke, dumbfounded. "I mean it." He said, a smirk slowly gracing itself on his handsome features.

"Arigatou." She whispered, wiping a hand across her mouth shyly as she bowed her head. She felt a larger, warmer hand engulf hers that held her now empty cup. "How is your hand?" he asked, taking the cup from her and looking closely at her bandaged right hand.

"About as fine as yours." She said, smirking as she looked back up at him. "You put up one hell of a fight."

"So did you."

Sakura beamed. "I'm up for a rematch whenever you want, Sasuke-kun." She said playfully, smiling happily up at him. He still had her hand in his, and he used this advantage as he gently tugged her towards him. Catching her by her upper arms, he leaned in close until their foreheads were touching.

"I'll look forward to it." He smirked, watching her reaction for a second before closing the small distance between them and capturing her lips with his own. Sakura felt him mold his lips with hers, gently coaxing her to respond, which she did a moment later. Leaning over her, he lightly pushed her by her shoulder so that she fell back against the soft pillow with him on top of her. Both of her arms snaked around his strong chest while he hovered just inches above her petite frame. He smirked and softly ran the tip of his tongue over her lower lip. Sakura complied, parting her lips slowly so that the kiss turned passionate. She felt his weight pin her down, almost as if keeping her from going anywhere. She tightened her grip a little, silently telling him not to let her go.

Once they finally broke apart, Sasuke gathered her in his arms, holding her close to his chest. "You should rest a little more. Your body is still weak." He felt her sigh but sensed no hostility from her because of his comment. He smiled. _She is learning._ He thought silently.

"Hai, Sasuke-kun, but…" She looked up into his eyes. "Would you stay here with me?"

Sasuke smirked.

"Aa."

Sakura snuggled up against him as he pulled the covers over the both of them a moment later. Sakura fell asleep almost instantly as she felt Sasuke stroke her shoulder-length hair. "Sleep well my little Cherry Blossom." She heard him say softly in her ear before nodding off completely.

He waited until he felt her heartbeat slow to a calm pace and her breathing even out. He knew she was asleep.

_It's a good thing too,_ he thought to himself as he slipped out of her embrace and bringing the med kit over to the bed. _I didn't want to have to set her fractured bones with her still awake._ He winced as he looked over the damage done. Usually, Sakura would allow the bones to heal on their own, using the pain as a reminder for her mistakes in battle. But now that she was improving so quickly, Sasuke would hear nothing of that anymore. The substance he'd slipped into her drink would replenish her chakra faster, hence his reasoning for wanting her to finish it up completely.

Being as gentle as he could, he set the two fractures in her rib, wrapping a roll of bandage around them before gathering a small amount of chakra to his hand. Sakura had taught him the basics of medical ninjutsu and he was thankful, because whether she liked it or not, he was going to make sure that she was going to recover properly and swiftly this time.

The damaged chakra channels in her right arm were a whole different story, however. But already having knowledge of how to fix this, Sasuke quickly healed them, having taken care of his several hours prior.

Sakura mumbled softly in her sleep.

Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed, watching in fascination as she shifted slightly on the bed, her pink hair splaying out on the pillow, creating a halo around her head.

**_She's grown up, hasn't she?_** A gleeful voice said in his mind.

_Tch, leave me alone. I don't need you to toy with my thoughts._

_**Idiot. I AM your thoughts. Your innermost ones, that is.**_

_Hn._

**_You're so stubborn. Anyway, once this is all over, are you finally going to make her an Uchiha like you've been thinking for over the past year now?_**

_Go away. I'll think about that when the time comes._

**_Hehe, sure whatever buddy. You're still already thinking about it now._**

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke snapped. His obsidian eyes widened slightly as he saw Sakura roll over in her sleep. "Fuck." He murmured, hoping he didn't wake her. He put the med pack away and slid his shirt off before crawling back in beside her. Sakura immediately cuddled close to him, wrapping an arm comfortably around his torso while her legs entangled with his. Sasuke smirked as he wrapped an arm possessively around her waist.

_I could definitely get used to this._

* * *

Exhausted, yet triumphantly, she fought darkness as she trudged to the meeting place of the five Akatsuki out on this mission. Her bleary blue eyes scanned the forest, searching for the small, remote cottage Itachi had given her the location of. 

In the distance, she could make out the faint light coming from one of the windows. She smiled. She was back.

Before she could continue forward, however, she felt someone drop beside her and the cool metal of a kunai being pressed into her throat. "I-It's me." She barely got out, already recognizing his chakra.

"Heh, well you should know better than to not mask your chakra, yeah? I thought Itachi trained you better. He won't be too happy with you, yeah?" Deidara said smugly as he removed the kunai from her throat.

"…"

Ino grudgingly followed the blonde back towards the small cottage, her anger barely being diffused as she forced herself to replay the events of her mission over in her head.

She'd been assigned her third assassination. It was a former supporter of Akatsuki who had been snitching details to Konoha about Akatsuki activity over the past several months. She'd killed him easily, him not putting up much of a fight due to his disbelief and horror that Akatsuki would use someone else to come after him. His men had come after her, however, and naturally she'd been forced to fight them. Her head ached with a last blow to the head with the hilt of one of the men's katanas. Ino fought to stay conscious again as she felt another wave of dizziness wash over her.

"Oi, kunoichi, hurry up. Itachi knows we're coming, yeah? He'll want to discuss your mission when you get back, yeah?"

Ino nodded and bit her lip hard, tasting a little blood as she used the pain to keep her awake. Her calve throbbed with the long slash she'd obtained in trying to dodge having her body be sliced up when her own katana had been swiped from her hand.

_I won't be so stupid again._ She vowed silently to herself, her anger biting into her mind and pouring through her like icy water. _Itachi is going to be so mad. I killed the bastard, yes, but they recognized me. _

The door to the cottage swung open as Deidara kicked it. Ino squinted in the bright light pouring through the opening. "Oi, I found her! Where's Itachi? He'll want to see her, yeah?"

Ino felt herself being grabbed from behind, and her legs screamed for her to drop to her knees. But instinct told her to resist. She jerked her body around, her right hand reaching over her shoulder and grasping the cool hilt of her katana in a tight grip.

Deidara snorted.

"He's just being an ass right now kunoichi, yeah? Nothing to worry about." Ino's eyes widened as she looked up into deep crimson. "Follow me." He said smoothly, gesturing for her to comply. Ino glared over her shoulder at Deidara who had gone to join the other two Akatsuki at the table, all of them playing some sort of card came.

Itachi disappeared through a doorway and Ino followed after him, wondering what on earth he wanted. The moment she passed through the open doorway the door closed with a snap behind her. Ino spun around only to find Itachi leaning casually against the door.

"Was your mission successful?"

Ino nodded, understanding coming to her immediately. "Hai. He didn't resist much and was easy to dispose of."

"But,"

Ino sighed. There was no hiding _anything_ from this guy. "But his asshole bodyguards came after me." She grumbled, bowing her head. "I killed them all of course, but…" her voice trailed off. She threw a sly look over her shoulder, hiding the smirk on her face.

"But,"

"It's nothing." She said softly, her fingers fumbling with the strap holding her katana in place.

"Were you recognized?" Itachi asked, his voice stern.

Ino swallowed hard, feigning a guilty look.

"Just as Red Iris." She murmured. Just then, she felt a finger curling around her chin as her gaze was lifted from the ground to stare up into his scarlet eyes.

"Red Iris? The deadly assassin whom no one has an encounter with and survives?" Even through the darkness, Ino could see the smirk on his face.

"You got it." She said her voice barely audible and a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Nice job." Itachi murmured softly, pulling her closer. Their lips brushed for a moment before he closed the distance and kissed her hard. Ino stopped resisting after that and allowed her body to melt to his on its own accord.

When they broke apart, she felt his gaze scrutinizing her closely.

"You were hurt." He said, his voice betraying nothing in his words.

Ino shrugged. "It's nothing." She repeated taking a step back and pulling her katana off before leaning it against the side of the bed. She felt a hand go behind her now short blonde hair to grip the back of her neck. She winced sharply as his fingers brushed by the shallow gash behind her head from where she'd taken the blow from the katana hilt.

"No, its not." He said, allowing a little concern to leak into his words. "You have a concussion and you've been losing blood." Ino averted her gaze.

"Sit." He commanded, pointing to the bed. Ino rolled her eyes, but she didn't argue. Sinking onto the soft mattress, she felt his hand grow warm as he gathered chakra to it.

The dizziness grew as warmth engulfed her body and the added fatigue from her harrowing escape aided to her inability to stay awake; she soon felt herself falling. Itachi caught her easily and scooped her up, laying her on the bed. He watched as her body grew limp. He sighed.

"Stubborn." He murmured as he went back to the task at hand. She would not be able to travel in the morning in her current condition. A concussion was the cause of the dizziness and of course the gash in her leg would slow her down as well. He finished healing her head wound and his gaze turned to the angry red gash on her leg. Taking some bandages from his pack, he set to work cleaning and then wrapping the bloody mess.

Once he was done, he cast a knowing look at her. _She did well for her third solo assassination._ He thought to himself before standing and making to leave. The rest of the members would want to know what had happened and the debriefing would go much faster once they returned home if everyone else knew the mission specifics.

Itachi slipped from the room silently, his gaze lingering on her slumbering form a moment longer before he closed the door behind him.

…………

Morning came, all too swiftly.

_It would be so much nicer if one didn't wake up with a throbbing headache and sore muscles._ Ino mentally gripped. Sitting up, she tied her hair back, taking a note of the bandages wrapped around the now healing wound. After getting her things together from her mission she headed out, noticing that Deidara, Kisame and Sasori were no longer out in the main room of the small cabin.

"Kunoichi."

Ino spun around on her heel fast, her hand gripping her katana tightly. Sasori was standing behind her, sending her a funny look. "Itachi told me to inform you that he's gone on another mission. He will meet you back at base in a few hours."

Ino nodded.

The trip back to Akatsuki's base was in Ino's opinion, fucking ass boring and uneventful. The temperature had dropped, as the seasons were changing from fall gradually into winter. Cold air bit into her, freezing her to the bone. Ino closed her eyes, forcing herself not to think about the cold. She was thankful that she had time to ponder her thoughts. _Sakura was kidnapped over 6 months ago. What is Itachi-kun up to? He's not planning on engaging Sasuke any time soon, is he? I honestly thought he'd forgotten all about his icy bastard younger brother. But why the hell would Itachi bring Sakura out of Konoha and to the base? He had me leave the room before I was able to hear anything, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about this. _Ino sighed, showing her frustration out loud. Kisame shot a look back at her, but she didn't meet his gaze, ignoring him completely.

When they arrived back, Ino slipped through the entrance and headed straight for her room. Her limbs felt heavy and her eyelids were fighting against her as she struggled to keep them open. Sasori threw her a smirk and a wave goodnight as she grasped the cool metal doorknob in her hand. Rolling her sky-blue eyes, Ino pushed her door open and spun around, leaning her body against the heavy wood to close it abruptly.

Once her door was closed and safely locked behind her she heard Sasori chuckling in the hallway at her.

Slipping into the bathroom, Ino peeled her combat suit off, tossing it to the floor and turning on the hot water tap. Stepping in, she felt the water hit her back, pounding from the showerhead and stinging her freezing skin. Quickly getting clean, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself up tightly in a robe and drying her shoulder-length hair. As she returned to her room, she felt another presence in the room.

"You're back early." She said shortly, not bothering to look up. She knew it was him before he deftly moved forward, never stopping until he was directly in front of her. Ino side-stepped so she was out of his proximity. She finished toweling her hair and walked back to the bathroom, tossing her towel over the side of the tub.

Before she knew what happened, she felt two hands gripping her shoulders and she was spun around quickly.

Wide blue eyes stared up into dark crimson.

"Something wrong, Red Iris?" His deep voice taunted smugly.

Ino's eyes narrowed. _Kuso. I can't keep anything from him, can I?_ She thought bitterly to herself.

"Nope, everything's fine." She retorted, wriggling in his grasp, trying to free herself.

Itachi smirked. "That so?" Ino dropped her fiery gaze from his face.

Frowning slightly, Itachi lifted her chin up until she stared him in the eyes. "Something is bothering you." He stated emotionlessly. Ino bit her lip as she felt her face go red in shame. Hateful tears overflowed in her eyes as her ability to block them failed.

"What's this? Red Iris, _THE_ Red Iris is crying?" Itachi asked, his voice slightly mocking. Ino put both hands on his chest and pushed herself away. "Stop it." She said in a low voice. She turned away.

"I've never thought you would be one to turn your back on someone…" Itachi's voice trailed off. Ino spun around, her face red and tears streaking down her cheeks. "Shut up! Just SHUT UP!" She cried, turning back around and covering her face with her hands. She couldn't hold the tears in any longer.

Guilt overflowed from her heart and regret began to grip her as she felt two warm arms embrace her from behind. Her body froze up when she realized who it was. "Why the tears little kunoichi?" he whispered in her ear. Ino shivered, not responding.

Itachi smirked, though he didn't much feel like it. Her behavior bothered him. This wasn't the fiery kunoichi he'd fallen for.

Ino pulled away from him, but not before he caught her by the arm and gently but firmly guided her back to him. Once she felt her body against his warm chest, her fatigue began to take over. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she fought to stay conscious.

_No, I mustn't fall asleep. I've got to get an answer out of him. I can't keep going on blindly like this any longer. There's something he's not telling me._ Ino felt herself being scooped up off of her feet.

"Rest. We'll talk in the morning." His deep voice said smoothly in her ear. He removed his shirt, climbing in next to her and pulling her against his strong form.

Ino fell asleep almost instantly. The last thought on her mind was, _I guess I can wait another few hours…_

* * *

Sleep slowly ebbed away from her mind as she opened her heavy eyelids. Blinking several times to make sure she was fully awake, she sat up fast, wincing in pain. 

"You of all people should know not to do that when you've got fractured ribs." An icy voice said from her right.

Sakura jerked her gaze in that direction, only to stare up into deep onyx. "Sasuke…" Her voice trailed off. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Lay down." He said sternly. It took her a moment to comply. Her brain was still fuzzy from sleep and was a little more than slow on the uptake.

"Huh?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Gently putting both hands on her shoulders, he pushed her back so that she was once again lying down. Sakura blushed furiously as he slowly pushed her shirt up. "Sa-Sasuke-kun, w-what are y-you doing?" She stuttered, her cheeks matching her hair color now.

Sasuke smirked before with a sharp flick of his wrist, tore her shirt off. Wide emerald green met amused onyx. Sakura struggled to cover herself. Her arms hugged her upper torso, even though it was covered completely by a sports bra, she still felt vulnerable. Sasuke smirked as he leaned forward, closing the distance between them. He caught her trembling hands in his own and brought each one to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly before placing them by her head. "What's the matter Sakura?" He asked tauntingly.

"N-nothing!" She whimpered, turning her head so she couldn't see his smirk. It had already turned her insides to jelly. Sasuke sighed. Taking one of her hands with his, he pulled it in front of his face before his dark gaze fell on her bandaged chest.

"Show me." He said sharply. He gave her hand a squeeze. Sakura looked back up at him, her eyes full of confusion.

"Huh?" She asked, her ignorance showing in her tone.

"I want you to show me how you would heal bones." Sakura's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly at this. "Why?" She asked, daring to challenge him. "Because." He answered, never taking his gaze off of her. "This sort of training won't help you." He finished, his eyes watchfully observing her reaction.

Sakura wrinkled her face in malcontent. "Who says? It worked just fine before you showed up back home."

"Show me." He said, choosing not to respond to her last comment. Sakura shook her head. "This is my choice, Sasuke-kun." She said softly. Sasuke narrowed his now bleeding crimson eyes.

"Why?" He snapped.

Sakura's watery green gaze snapped up to his face. "I…" she choked on her response, turning her head so she couldn't see his face, a curtain of pink covering her now heated cheeks. A long moment of silence passed. Neither of them moved, however.

"Show me." He said in a gentler tone. Sakura swallowed. Carefully, she slowly began to gather green chakra to her hand, transferring it into Sasuke's. He softly laid his now glowing hand on her chest, feeling the fractures he'd set start to move and heal. Sakura sucked in a sharp breath of air as she felt one of her ribs move slightly. She felt soft touches trail down her neck and to her shoulder as Sasuke gently took her attention away from the pain.

When it was over, she had hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

Satisfied that she would indeed be back to normal by the middle of the day, Sasuke removed his hand from her now clammy skin. He noticed her shaking a little and he turned his attention back to her, concerned. She'd hidden her face in the pillow and had let her tears flow freely. "Stupid, lame, weak…" he heard her mutter. He took her by the shoulders and turned her so that she laid face up, looking at him through swollen puffy eyes.

"Sakura…" He said softly. His fingers trailed from the top of her bangs down to her chin. "Why?"

"I don't want you to see me weak anymore." She said, her tone hardening considerably. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Weak?" He asked, lifting her now drooping chin. She nodded, fresh tears spilling onto her cheeks.

"Weak." He repeated.

Sakura watched him as she slowly nodded again.

"You've survived more than I would have ever thought possible, Sakura. How the fucking hell can you still call yourself weak?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "I'm nowhere near as strong as you. I don't want to be a burden to you in your fight with Itachi. I made a promise to you, and I damn well intend to keep it." Her voice was hard. Much too hard for his liking. But he could see the determination in her eyes, and he didn't need the sharingan to see her resolve in her statement.

Pride swelled inside of him as he realized that she'd grown stronger with him. The six months he'd been training with her, guiding her towards a new level of strength, she'd improved drastically, but failed to see it herself.

Leaning forward, Sasuke brushed a few strands of pink away from her face. He felt her close her eyes. He softly kissed each eyelid before his lips moved to her forehead, then to each cheek. He tasted her salty tears on her cheeks before finally capturing her lips in a bittersweet kiss. He felt her slowly, shakily wrap both of her arms around his neck, and he pulled her up against him, enveloping her in his strong arms.

Strong fingers gently massaged her scalp before running through her short pink tresses while his other hand wrapped possessively around her waist. Sakura leaned into him, eventually relaxing in his grip as their kiss turned passionate.

Once they broke apart, Sasuke kept them so that their noses were touching. They took a moment to catch their breaths but Sasuke spoke before Sakura had the chance to. "You are the furthest thing from weak." He murmured softly. His intense gaze met hers; and in such close proximity, green bled together with onyx, uniting them at the sight of their vision. "Don't you dare think otherwise."

Sakura felt another wave of tears start to come. She nodded and then immediately felt herself being pulled close. After a long, peaceful moment, Sasuke pulled away, laying her back down again. "Rest a little more. I'm going to make breakfast." Sakura nodded. He started to get up, but Sakura caught his hand before he was completely out of reach.

She gave it a gentle squeeze and she felt him doing the same…a ghost of a real smile gracing his lips. Sakura's heart leapt into her throat. Sasuke leaned down, his lips brushing her forehead while his other hand closed her eyes.

"That's an order."

Sakura giggled softly. "Hai, Uchiha-san."

He smirked.

_She's getting there.

* * *

_

**Katon: Karyuu Endan:** wall of fire technique.

* * *

**A/N: Wow. Sorry it took me soooooo long to update guys! I've been busy. I hope you all liked it!**

**Hmm…that little blue/purplish button looks appealing, ne? XD **

**Reviewers who get cookies!**

**QuickSilverWitch:** lol, not just yet! But there will be…in the future. xD

**Shinobi Darkbeak:** arigatou! I'm working on it! xD

**StarFire and Sakura:** I wish people would be more open to this pairing. Its really not all that bad you know. xD hehe. Anyways, see u next chapter!

**StormDragon666:** hehe, more SasuSaku in the chapter than the last.

**Egyptian-Fire: **xD thank you so much for your support! Reviewers like you make me wanna keep writing. xD

**Sakura:** XD free ramen for you! You absolutely rule! Lol! THANK YOU for your wonderful review! It completely and totally made my day!

**Mela-chan818:** hehe. Yep! Another chapter uploaded and ready for reading! xD hehehe. See ya next chapter! (and on AIM of course. Lol!)

**Sweetmaiden:** continuous as usual. Lol! I'm working on trying to move the pairings along a little more. I want to bring out the character personalities as well as their differences and similarities. I want to show _why_ each pairing fits together because I think it actually helps people to see where each one is coming from.

**Mayakopapoika:** wow, what an interesting name. lol! Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad you like it! I hope its not too dark and gloomy…xP

**Itachiismyluver:** lol, ok! Thanks for reading!

**AnimexMusica:** hehehe, this one isn't quite as long as the last chapter…but I'm working on it. Lol!

**Player L: **I appreciate it!

**Blood Stained:** You're not a SasuSaku fan? OO wow. Well, I'm glad you like this. I hope that I will be able to persuade you and maybe change that! Lol!

**Popcorngirl1234:** lol, not too in-depth? xD sorry if it was kinda long. Anyways, thanks for reviewing!


	14. Fate's Cruelty

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, which indefinitely sucks.

Thank you to everyone who has been keeping with me these past few weeks! I know that some of you haven't really agreed with the pairings in this fic, but I appreciated everyone's responses to the past 2 chapters.

Anyway, I'll shut up and get on with the next chapter. Hope everyone likes it ok! I didn't want to move things along too quickly without giving the story line some proper thought because I didn't want to kill it. Lol!

If you want, please review! I'd love to hear back from you all! xD

**Blackbloodedkunoichi** (beta) A/N: Ne, Sakura-chan, you are such an awesome writer! You surpass me by far hahaha 3

NEH if you people don't review Sakura-chan then...then sob we will both be very upset! Review and give her kisses and hugs and luuurve! Because this baby girl needs it! Give her some love! (Is it okay if I write this A/N? XD)

* * *

**Stained Cherry Blossoms**

**Fate's Cruelty**

* * *

It was early morning, when a dark figure emerged from the forest. His charge had already departed on her latest mission, leaving him to check up on his latest, secret vendetta.

With fluid, rapid movements, he had moved through the forest swiftly, getting to his destination in under an hour. As always, his slick mind and deadly ability allowed him to move about without being detected. Dark onyx eyes narrowed maliciously on his target as he watched them exit the safety of their own home and move stealthily to the roofs of the oldest estate in Konoha.

He smirked.

_You've waited too long._ He thought as he silently followed. _Your blood shall spill. _

* * *

Sakura woke early. Her emerald gaze traveling around the room, taking in her surroundings. Sitting up, she rubbed one of her eyes before pulling her knees up to her chin and resting her arms atop them. Silence still engulfed the room as the early morning birds chirped quietly outside.

Something didn't feel right.

Yawning and stretching, her jade gaze found the clock on the bedside table.

It read 5:25.

Rolling her eyes, she slipped out of bed and to the bathroom, emerging ten minutes later fully dressed and ready to go. Grabbing a fistful of her shoulder length pink hair, she pulled it up into a ponytail, tying it back so that it would stay out of her way. Her outfit had changed in the months that she'd been staying with Sasuke. She'd replaced her normal red top with her clan's symbol on the back with one of his older shirts, and a pair of loose-fitting black capris. Grabbing her weapon's pouch, she strapped on her kunai holster and slid her sandals on.

She was going to train early.

Her eyes came to rest on the figure slumped on the couch in the living room. She smiled softly as she went to his side, grabbing the throw blanket from the back of the couch, and covering him up.

"See you in a few hours Sasuke-kun." She whispered in his ear, her lips brushing his cheek softly.

With that, she left, leaping to the roofs of the Uchiha Estate, stealthily making her way towards the training grounds where she and Sasuke had been training consistently for almost a year.

* * *

Itachi smirked.

This was going to be just _too_ easy.

* * *

Sakura noticed a change in the wind when she arrived at their private training spot. A shiver went down her spine, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

Something _really_ wasn't right.

It happened before she knew what to expect. A deadly blur of red and black clouded her vision as she found herself slammed up against a tree. She cried out in shock and choked on warm liquid coming up her throat…

Blood.

"Wha-what do you want you fucking asshole?" She choked out, glaring furiously up into murderously red sharingan. The pain in the back of her head becoming almost unbearable as Itachi's grip tightened harshly, yanking her chin up to expose her slender neck to him. His hand slid from her hair to around her throat within seconds. Sakura gasped as she felt her air supply drain as his cold fingers squeezed her esophagus tightly.

"You've broken your word, little kunoichi." He said icily.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Let me go." She mouthed, her head beginning to spin from lack of oxygen. She kicked her feet, trying hard to knock one of his legs out from under him. But Itachi was too quick for that. He easily blocked her kick, crushing her shin with his leg guard. He stood about two feet from her, his arm closing the distance between them easily and lifted her small form off of the ground, keeping her pressed firmly to the tree. He watched as she continued to struggle a moment longer before gradually giving in and going limp in his hold.

He threw her to the forest floor once he felt her concede.

Sakura smirked wearily to herself when she felt Itachi release her. Silently, she reached behind her, pulling kunai into her right hand. As Itachi began to approach her seemingly "limp" form, she leapt up, chucking the kunai at him as hard as she could.

He smirked.

So this would be more of a challenge than expected.

Good.

Oh how he _hated _easy kills.

Sakura glared angrily as she set up her next attack. Her body was still recovering from loss of air, but she felt the strength gradually returning to her muscles as she flipped over a branch, putting more distance between herself and the eldest Uchiha. She could feel him gaining on her fast, and she knew she had to think of something quick. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, driving her to a whole new level of focus this early in the morning. A plan began to take form in her mind, and she quickly yanked several exploding tags from her pouch. Smirking to herself, she spun around, throwing at least a hundred small stamp-sized tags at her opponent. They showered around him like falling leaves, several landing on him. Not wasting a second, Sakura threw the activating kunai with the largest exploding tag trailing behind and took off as fast as she could.

_**BOOM!**_

The heat from the explosion engulfed the whole area as Sakura looked behind her, pausing briefly on a branch to survey the collateral damage. At least an acre of trees were destroyed, some still burning and the grass below was charred.

_Poof!_

Sakura whirled in time to block a vicious attack to her upper torso by an upper cutting kunai. "A-a clone?" She whispered incredulously. Itachi smirked. "You've grown stronger, kunoichi. But it will not be enough to save you."

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously and she began to gather chakra to her fists. "That so huh?" She said smugly.  
Itachi raised an eyebrow at her. _She is different than the others._

"Most people fall to their knees in fear once they find out I'm going to kill them." He said in a taunting voice.

Sakura glared at him. "And most people have learned to stop doubting me so fucking much." She fired back, her green eyes blazing with anger.

"Why the hell won't you just leave Sasuke-kun alone!" She yelled, coming at him again, this time changing her angle of attack, so that she put herself directly in front of him. Itachi smirked. In a split second, he had successfully knocked her off of her feet and pinned her to the ground. He caught both of her hands in his own, quickly tying them together using chakra strings.

Sakura struggled against him. "Get off me you fucking bastard." She growled. She felt her chin being jerked up to look into his eyes.

"Why do you care?" He asked, his eyes showing no emotion, one of his many icy barriers.

Her emerald eyes that once burned with such inner fire seemed to be extinguished within that same moment. They were replaced with a sudden surge of fear and hesitation.  
"Oh come now kunoichi, you were so eager to talk a moment ago. What changed?" Itachi mocked his tone smug but his glare dangerous.

Sakura shuddered. "You are such an asshole." She tore her eyes from his face, staring instead at the tree leaves over his shoulder. She brought her foot up in between his legs, nailing him hard in the groin, nearly crippling him for a few moments. His reaction was enough to show her that her speed had indeed improved and she rolled backwards and away from the deadliest missing-nin from all of Konoha.

She took off running as fast as she possibly could, not once looking back but using her sixth sense to detect the distance between her and Itachi as she formulated a plan in her mind.

When given opportunity, Sakura always seized it. Tsunade would have expected no less from her young apprentice.

Itachi had given her an opening, and she snatched said opportunity. She broke through the chakra strings binding her wrists together, having studied enough from Tsunade on how to do so. A kunai with a tag wrapped around its handle sliced easily through her enemy's bonds. In a matter of seconds, Sakura set up a trap for her pursuer. She did several handseals, setting off the trap a bit early, getting him to sidestep an explosion he would've evaded had he maneuvered around the trap. Sakura smirked, but her smug look was wiped clean off of her face as Itachi flew through the flames, arms crossed in front of his face, a deadly glare in his eyes and two large kunai gripped in both hands. Sakura flipped out of the way as the first kunai came towards her throat, and then leapt off the branch she was on, falling to the forest floor below.

Itachi watched her and as she fell, he made his move.

Two exploding bunshins cross attacked, both forming seals for a katon jutsu. Each took turns nailing sharp, precise hits on her body as she fell. Itachi watched from afar, waiting for the right moment to bring her completely under his mercy.

Sakura landed hard, blood dripping from a wound somewhere on her forehead and from her mouth. She stood shakily, holding her left side tenderly and looked around, green eyes wide with fear. She pulled shuriken in between her fingers, taking a deep calming breath.

_Focus Sakura, focus. _She thought to herself. Remembering her training with Sasuke, she knew enough to watch out for doujutsu that Itachi would surely use to subdue her. _Well, if the bastard wants to play that way…_ she thought silently. Gathering what chakra she could, she focused it to her eyes.

Her vision increased impossibly well, giving her the same effects as the first level of a beginner Sharingan user. True, she did not have the bloodline ability, her chakra control was perfect though, and thus, this technique she'd learned from Sasuke to predict her opponent's movements and attacks would save her in this fight.

Itachi came at her, attacking viciously and hard.

But Sakura was ready for him. She spun in mid air, throwing shurikens at both of them, flipping upside down to avoid several balls of fire hurtling at her. The two bunshins disappeared but more came in their place. Soon, Sakura was running low on chakra, her new technique draining a considerable amount out of her, and it took a lot just to keep it up.

"I…won't lose...to you." She panted, breathing hard as she evaded more fire attacks from the elder Uchiha.

He was relentless. The moment Sakura stopped running was when he knew he had her. Her stamina had improved in the months since she'd destroyed the snake Sannin, but it wasn't enough to keep up with him, Uchiha Itachi.

He closed the 50 meter distance between them within a blind second, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and slamming her up against a tree. He smirked as he recognized his younger brother's old shirt on her.

"You have proven yourself to be worthy of an Uchiha." He murmured in her ear. "But you were not strong enough to stop me."

Sakura gasped for air as sweat beaded down the sides of her face. "I, don't have…to beat…you. W-we'll get you soon enough." She started coughing fiercely, closing her eyes tightly so she wouldn't make the mistake of looking into Itachi's stern red gaze.

"You know, you're just as stubborn as your little friend." Itachi said in a low voice.

Sakura's eyes snapped open wide at this. "Wh-what do you mean!" she snapped, her eyes narrowing on him. "Where is she! What have you done to Ino-chan!"

Itachi smirked. "What have _I_ done to her?" He asked mockingly.

"Damn you fucking bastard! Tell me where she is! What's happened to her!"

She froze when she felt a cold finger trace over her flushed cheek and then to her lips.

"Such a vile tongue on a fragile little thing." He tsked audibly, knowingly taunting her. Sakura growled and lashed out, biting towards his finger but only succeeding in catching thin air in her barbaric grasp.

"You'd best stop worrying about your friend and worry about yourself. It seems you have forgotten our deal, little kunoichi."

Sakura felt a shiver go up her spine. "I haven't forgotten." She said in a dangerous tone, her glare more than intensifying.

"I told you I would kill you if you didn't deliver my message to my foolish little brother."

"Yeah, and what of it?" She countered, fiery anger boiling her blood once again.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at her. "You make the mistake of mocking me, kunoichi. This spells death for most people." Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for death to come.

It didn't. Several long, drawn out seconds passed.

Instead, she felt a hard pressure at the juncture of her neck. Before darkness took over, she heard, "Do not take my threat lightly kunoichi. I _will_ see you again."

* * *

Sasuke raced down the street as fast as he could. The bad feeling in the pit of his stomach growing as he rushed to the hospital. Less than 10 minutes ago, one of his ANBU subordinates had shown up at his door, a grave message to deliver.

Haruno Sakura had been found an hour earlier, bloody, beaten and unconscious in the forest.

Now, as he came to a skidding halt in the lobby of the hospital, his eyes bled to red as he scanned the list of patients at the nurse's desk. Without waiting for permission, he dashed up four flights of stairs, taking three at a time to get there faster.

Sakura was still unconscious when he got there. He noticed someone already in the room, and his breath released as he realized it was their former sensei, Kakashi.

"Sasuke, you can stop pretending not to be there." The silver haired Jounin's voice filtered through the open doorway. Sasuke grunted, shoving his hands in his pockets before casually kicking the door open the rest of the way and making his entrance.

"Kakashi. What happened?" He asked, attempting to make himself seem uncaring. Not too many people in Konoha knew of his feelings toward his female teammate, and he wanted to keep it that way, at least until after they both defeated Itachi together.

"She was attacked this morning while training." Kakashi replied, pulling out his perverted orange book. Icha Icha Paradise.

Sasuke made a private note to use a Katon jutsu on his sensei's whole collection.

He waited for his old sensei to elaborate, but Kakashi just shrugged his shoulders, gesturing towards the seat beside the bed that held a petite, bandaged form. A monitor beeped every other second, monitoring Sakura's heart rate, and a respirator mask covered her nose and mouth, delivering medicated gas into her damaged lungs.

Kakashi gripped the younger Uchiha's shoulder tightly. "Stay. She needs you." He said simply, giving his former prodigy student a push towards the bed before moving out of the room. Sasuke stood stolidly in place, waiting to hear the click of the door closing behind his old sensei. Once he felt Kakashi's chakra sense get farther away, he moved toward the bed where his teammate lay.

"Sakura…" He whispered softly. Anger boiled in his blood as he clenched both hands into tight fists. His fingernails cut into the palms of his hands, drawing blood slowly. Onyx eyes glared at the floor, as if willing this all to be a dream.

"I'm sorry." he said, walking closer and resting a hand on her shoulder. "I should have been there."

* * *

It was the middle of the night when she returned. Her clothes were stained with blood and her chakra was running low. Leaping gracefully from the trees, she flipped over the tall gates of what had become her second home for almost a year. She knew he wouldn't be there. In fact, he'd told her three nights before that he would be gone when she came home that night.

Ino sighed.

This was becoming a little _too_ scheduled. She'd asked Itachi what was going on and why Sakura had been brought to the Akatsuki stronghold. Itachi had answered that she was part of a plan to bait Kyuubi. But that made no sense. If her best friend was bait for Naruto, why wouldn't she have been held hostage? Why release her?

A sudden thought had crossed her mind then.

Sasuke.

Itachi had been talking about his confrontation with his younger brother for at least a few months now. Ino couldn't help but think Sakura's relationship with Sasuke had a connection somehow as to why she had been here. Ino rolled her eyes. She knew the truth would be revealed sooner or later. If it all came down to it, she would watch Itachi go off to face his little brother, then follow along behind just to be sure that her lover survived.

_I'll help you Ita-kun. I just want to be happy with you, and I can't do that if you're dead._ She thought to herself. Ino entered her room, stripping down to her undergarments the minute she'd closed the bathroom door behind her. Turning on the tap, she stepped into the shower, undressing fully and standing under the harsh pelting hot water. It soothed her sore muscles, but she smirked at how defined they had become over the past several months. Rusty orange water ran down her body as she scrubbed her hair clean of the blood that had been caked to it for the past two days. As soon as she was done showering, she heard a noise in the other room. She flipped off the water and wrapped herself in a towel; peeking out through the doorway to see who it was that had signed their own death sentence by entering her room without her permission.

Angry blue looked up into amused onyx.

"I-Ita-kun!" She squeaked, backing away from the door as it opened all the way. "What're you doing home?" She asked, reaching for her clothes. A warm hand stopped her actions as she felt herself being pulled towards him.

The towel slipped as he enveloped her in his arms and she blushed heavily, averting her gaze from his face as she realized she now was wrapped in his arms, completely naked.

"Whoops." She heard him whisper amusedly in her ear.

"I-I thought y-you said that you w-wouldn't b-be home for a-a while…" she stuttered, shyly reaching for the towel. She was stopped as Itachi scooped her up into his arms, laid them both on the bed, and leaned down, capturing her lips with his own, keeping her from protesting. His Akatsuki cloak covering them both and warming Ino's slightly chilled body. The cool silk sheets felt good against her clean skin, and she wrapped both arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. She moaned softly as he took complete control, his fingers left hot trails on her skin, setting her on fire as desire flooded her senses. She drew him closer to her and whispered in his ear, "I've missed you." She felt him smirk against her lips. Ino giggled as his lips trailed down her neck, suckling at the skin, tickling her. Her hands found the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, tossing it aside.

She sighed contentedly as she felt him press their bare chests together. The contact making her almost nostalgic from the first time they were together. Ino laid her head on his shoulder as she hugged him close.

"You were gone so long." She whispered. She felt his hands hold her by her hips as he stared deep into her longing eyes. "You're mine, little Iris. Never forget that. I always come for what is mine."  
Ino giggled as a feeling of relief washed through her.

Itachi discarded his pants and boxers quickly and pulled Ino with him under the covers of 'their' bed. Ino shyly smirked up at him as he pinned her underneath. "Then take me with you next time, ok? I hate being here alone without you." Itachi smirked at her before closing the distance between them with a rough kiss.

"You need to sleep. I will wait for your explanation of your mission in the morning." He said in her ear. He felt her nod and he wrapped her in a tight embrace, their hands entwining and crossed in front of Ino's chest.

* * *

_Sakura._

_Sakura…_

_Sakura, wake up. _

_PLEASE WAKE UP! _

Sakura's eyes snapped open. Her heart pounded hard against her chest and she looked around the room, taking in her surroundings as quickly as she could. It was then that she discovered the "restraint" her right hand was in.

A sleeping Sasuke clutched it tightly in both of his own.

"Sasuke-kun…" She whispered softly.

Suddenly, a flash of red and black crossed her vision and she screamed.

---

Sasuke opened his eyes sharply, his brain recognizing the scream emitting from the person beside him. In an instant, he'd grabbed the still sleeping Sakura by her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake.

"Sakura." He said quietly, hoping to get her attention. No response.

"Sakura…" He said it a little louder. The screaming intensified.

"Sakura, wake up!" He commanded, his worry beginning to grow. Still no response.

"PLEASE WAKE UP!" He shouted, giving her a firm shake, not enough to hurt her more, but just enough to jolt her from the nightmare haunting her in her sleep.

Sakura's eyes snapped open. "S-Sasuke-kun?" She croaked, not having spoken in so long had made her voice croaky and thick.

"Aa." He replied. He didn't hesitate in slipping an arm supportively under her neck and pulling her up into his arms. "It's ok." He whispered in her ear.

He was now very glad he'd stayed.

"Are you ok?" He asked after a long moment, watching for a reaction from her. His question only had her hanging on to him tighter.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, sounding defeated. "I wasn't strong enough."

Her words sent a feeling of dread through him. Sasuke pulled away slightly, just enough to look her in the eyes. "What do you mean?" He asked softly.

"I went up against Itachi. He caught me when I was out training in the early morning. I…I wasn't strong enough to stop him." Tears filled her eyes as she lowered her gaze from Sasuke's face.

"No, Sakura." Sasuke said, anger boiling inside, he took her in his arms again. "I know you did the best you could. We promised, remember? We'll fight him together, and win." He felt her nod.

"In the meantime, you need to rest. The cell regeneration pills Tsunade gave you have helped speed up the healing process, but you still need to take it easy."  
She nodded again.

Sasuke sighed deeply as he felt her let go and move to lie down once more. He smirked as he climbed in next to her. Sakura jerked with surprise when she felt his arms pull her towards him protectively. "I _will _protect you, Sakura. I promise." He said softly in her ear. She snuggled up close to him and closed her eyes again.

Sleep then came _much_ easier and swifter than expected.

* * *

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Her gaze was resting in anguish at the scroll sitting on her desk. _Uchiha won't be too pleased with this._ She thought silently.

Re-reading the report she'd received, she pondered her next move.

_06:00am_

_ANBU squad 4- Captain Hyuuga Neji_

_While patrolling parameters, a dark figure was noticed entering the village. One of our members followed them in. They entered the Uchiha Estate, traveling to where the Clan used to hold secret meetings before it was brutally destroyed by Uchiha Itachi. _

_Five minutes were spent inside before an item of importance was noted missing._

_The Clan's main scroll. _

_The identity of the thief is currently unknown, but suspects include: Uchiha Itachi, any subordinate of his, a clone, or…_

Tsunade could tell that whoever had written this report had had some trouble in writing the next name.

_Red Iris._

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry I've taken so long to update! This summer has been VERY EXTREMELY busy and hectic. Not exactly the nice mellow, relaxing summer I was wishing for.../ Anyway, Ino-chan and I are home now from Otakon, which TOTALLY kicked ass by the way! Lol! I will post pics on my site sometime if I get the chance. **

**Anyways! I hope you all at least enjoyed this next chapter, and yes I know it is a cliffhanger. The next one will be posted within the next week or so. I'm tired of taking so long to update.  
XD**

**Leave me a comment if you wish! It helps motivate me more to update. Lol!**

**Arigatou and ja ne!**

**-Uchiha Sakura-**


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